12/3/2007 Just One More Day....

My day with my father, Joseph Pellicciotta, would be action packed. We would need to be able to travel the country in a blink and the time of year could be any day, any season. Our 24 hours would not allow sleep - we would be on the go !!

There was NEVER a man who could love his children or grandchildren more than "Joe Pell". My Dad was the most beloved individual I have ever come in contact with. Proof was given the days of his waking and funeral. As his daughter, this was a very overwhelming experience which stays with me until today. My dad lost his battle with cancer and pasted away on 1/15/1989 after all our miracles had run out. You see, my sister and I found out later, he was only given about 6 months at his first diagnosis but lasted about 17 months. Those were the most painful but most loving moments we shared.

I would want One More Day with Joe Pell selfishly to see my Dad with my grown sons, Chase and Chad. They were only 5 and 3 when he passed and I know they have lost more than they can ever imagine. You see, my Dad was the type of man who before volunteering was politically correct, offered his services as a football and baseball coach to many young boys in our town. He had no sons so he looked to help young boys in other ways. At this time, Gregg and I were married but no blessings in the picture yet. So as devoted fans of Joe Pell, we would go watch the teams he coached !!! I never realized how special a task he had taken on until my sons began to play sports. The loss for Chase and Chad was felt to my core. It is a fact that he would have been at every practice, scrimmage and game for any sport either of them ever played. We laughed during these years saying he still got to see everything the boys played just from the best seat in the house !! My son Chase actually told me years after he played baseball that he could feel his Pop with him in the outfield. Chase and my Dad had a very special bond. Chase didn't want to tell me at the time to upset me but when he did, it validated all that I had believed. My Dad would have and probably has traveled the earth for his children and grandchildren.

My boys, as well as my sister's daughter Jessica, she was only 1 when he passed, were loved more than words could ever explain. When my oldest son Chase was born, Dad actually smacked a kiss right on my doctor!! That was a first for Dr. Morese EVER. Dad actually came to visit us and acted as if he was the Dad just so he could come as soon as we got into the room. It was a good thing my husband was at work or we would have had a lot of explaining to do! I have saved until this day the original gifts he brought - a mini baseball bat, glove and the smallest Yankee jacket I had ever scene !!

To say my Dad was a sports fan would be the biggest understatement ever. My husband still tells people Joe Pell would watch water polo if that was the only sport on TV. Baseball was his first love so we would need to see the Yankees play and he'd HAVE to meet Derek Jeter. My Dad unfortunately passed before Derek was even old enough to play in the majors.. I know my father would be impressed not just by his play on the field but by his behavior as a human being. He always admired a good role model and Derek would fit that bill. We would be at game 7 of the World Series where of course, the Yankees would win !! My sister and I and our families would just sit back and watch my Dad loose his voice and spend whatever money he had on his grandkids. My Dad was not the smartest or wealthiest man I have ever known but he was by far the richest.

We would then speed away to Walt Disney World, The Happiest Place on Earth with the entire clan. We would be able to see and do EVERYTHING you could imagine and my Dad would be at the helm, enjoying the smiles we would all have on our faces and definitely driving the race cars at TomorrowLand. He would have a BLAST with the kids and his son-in-laws. My sister's husband Marty has never had the pleasure of meeting Dad so this would be an extra treat for him. My husband Gregg was as close as any son could be to a father regardless of bloodline. My father loved Gregg the second he shook his hand, the rest is history.

We would then blink our eyes at be sitting together at the perfect day at the Jersey Shore. This is our own personal heaven. In fact, back in July of 1998, I know for a fact that my Dad was with me as I sat and watched the sunset. Gregg and the boys were at a surf shop and I decided to get some quiet time at the beach after the crowd had left to go home and prepare their evening meal. This really is the best time of day. I asked Dad to spend some time with me and the breeze went from cool air to the warmest dusk breeze you could imagine. When I was done chatting and said goodbye and thanks for listening, the warm breeze left. This by far was one of the most amazing things I have ever experienced. So, our next stop would be for all us to enjoy time at the shore. My Dad would get to watch my boys surf and Cathy's girls look for sea glass and shells. I can see his smiling face as I write this sentence. It would be just perfect.

I would then end our day in way you may not expect. I would want to share the day of my Dad's funeral with him. It would be important for me that he know how loved and admired he was. I thought that was going to be the most painful day I had ever experienced but you know, I just could not cry. I was never so proud as I was that day. Many shed tears like I had never scene including grown men, but seeing all the love for my Dad just brought a smile to my face as well as my heart. I walked proud that day like I had never done before. I would want to make sure he knew about all this love and again kiss him goodbye and say see you again some day Dad. The blessing about his battle with cancer is that there was never any doubt for any of us how much he loved us and he knew how much his family loved him. During this time, we all learned to say I love you as often as we felt we needed and do so until today. Knowing that my Dad would be going on to a better place and we'd all be together again some day would make this easier. This time he left would be a see ya later rather than being thankful he was no longer suffering. If only this day could be possible. I am thankful that we all have our dreams......

I would go see my father at his hospital bed and stay there so that he would not have died alone.
I would tell him how sorry I was for not understanding why he was the man he was.
I would some how get him to tell me the stories of his suffering as POW.
I would tell him he didn't have to run away. And that I can love him no matter what.
I would tell him I am sorry that I was afraid to go live with him when I was so young and Mom died. I just didn't know him. I was too young and foolishly beleived what my mother's family said about him.
I am sorry I didn't know him,and I learned more about him at his funeral from strangers.
I am sorry I was so afraid of him.
I am sorry, so verry, very, sorry.

I believe your Dad knows just how you feel and he wouldn't want you to carry any guilt. I hope these words help.

I would sit down with my two Grandmothers and ask them about when they were young girls and what their lives were like. They were both already very old when I was growing up and my joy was just being with them, I never thought to ask them what their youth was like. Now I wish I had because I don't anything about what they were like when they were young.

My last day would be spent listening...

My beautiful sister Maureen passed away on Sept 4th 2007. She was brain injured for 14mths. Those 14 mths she lay in complete silence. She spoke to us with her glistening blue eyes. We sang to her, read to her...we prayed with and for her...and she could never say one word. She was a lawyer...a lover of stimulating conversation and debates...we longed to hear her laughter, her biting wit and sarcasm..the wisdom that once came forth...I would spend my one last day with her...in my own silence. I would listen as she spoke..14 mths worth...I miss her so.

My Mom is now is a nursing home with Alzheimer's. She still knows who I am and we still have fun together.
We have a hard time just trying to keep her out of mischief in her own room. There is always something
she likes to take down and why-Who knows?
My last day with Mom would be full of sunshine and music around us. I would dress her beautifully, have her
hair done just right, make-up on, and here we go in my car on an adventure.
Our adventure would be to the library to look at all of the art . Picture after picture, and just taking our time.
"Mom, there is a picture of roses all around the English cottage." I say to her. She will study it and look
at the fine details of the tone of colors. Then we proceed around to the art work of Paul Cezanne. "Still
Life with Onions." "It is beautiful," Linda. "Oh my, do you see this one," Linda. It is called the "Bridge
at Maincy." We both could feel the calm of the waters above the archbridge of stone.
Finally, we both just sit down and have lunch at the "Waterlily Pool" by Claude Monet.
On the water we notice all the waterlillies set in a ring of white petals. All of these magnificent colors
reflecting the play of light on the sky.
With an unexplained peacefulness, I am transformed to a little girl, perched on a wooden chair, with my
Mom showing me the various paintings and what they mean.
She has created a beautiful legacy-one that was passed down to my own child-Mark.

Love her always and always,
Linda Ann

my beautiful husband die last thanksgiving day 2006 and a year later i am still very devastated,i cant go on with my live and the only reason i get up in the morning is my 2 dogs.Who ever sand time heals is Full of sh......I wish i have one more day with my baby to tell him how much i love him over and over and hug him very tight,i will tell him some day will be together again and till then i hope he have peace in havens hands.i am in extreme pain insight and i do not see any light on my future.

I would hold my Mom and let her know what it feels like to be held and secure. I would tell her the strength she sees in me is the strength she gave me. That I am blessed to be her daughter. My drive is from her drive. I always thought I took after my Dad that died when I was 8 but as I get older I see I really take after my Mom. I will take all the opportunities that her being strong has given me.

I would spend it with my ex-husband and his kids, spouses and grandchildren. I would want it to be Christmas day when they have all traveled over to spend the holidays with us. There would be snow on the ground as always, and I would plan, cook and bake all their favorites. I would sit and watch, observe if you will, the joy, expressions and interaction with everyone and their every word would be a joy to my ears. All of their special stockings I made them would be hung on the stairway and we would again all enjoy taking them down and seeing the things we all snuck into them. Holding my grandchildren and brushing the hair from their wonderfully sweet foreheads as they slept in my lap. Seeing that joy once again in my ex-husbands eyes as he looks upon me knowing that nothing gives me greater pleasure than putting my all into each day for him, the kids and grandkids. I would forgive beyond forgiving and realize that for every forgiveness I give, I need double the forgiveness for me. It would be such a wonderful day, and as I said my prayers for the night, I would wish for many more days like this. Wow!

I would spend mine with my "step" mother...oh how I always hated that word when people told me that, or said it without knowing who she truly was.

She was my Mother...and I loved her and she loved me. We did not share the same DNA no, but she was more of a mother to me then my own biological one. She was never able to have her own children, and she meet my father when I was 12 years old....oh what a yucky age!! There was me and my brother who is 2 years younger then myself. It was typical...I hated her at first...she took my Dad away from me and my brother, and I didn't like it one bit!! As it had been the three of us for a long time.

Over the years I came to truly love her more then I could ever express. She was the one person other then my Father I truly trusted with all my being. She showed me how to love someone without judgement just by her actions with us kids. She was one of a kind. We lost her to cancer in 1996, she was 45. She put up a great fight, but in the end we knew. Pancreatic Cancer has to be the worst.

As I said she taught me about truely loving someone no matter...I have 3 children now and a loving husband. Two children she knew...they are her grandchildren. although we ending up having one more he also knows all about his grandmother. We ADOPTED Steven 2 years ago. He was a ward of the state and needed a good home, and my mother showed me DNA never matters when it comes to kids.

She was a very wise woman...Not a day goes by I dont think of her

My Grandma Bos died the day before my high school graduation. Even after all of these years I think of her. She was the person who taught me how to make chocolate chip cookies, she babysat, listened to us talk and have someone understand what my sister and I needed since there were 4 other children and my sister and I felt so lonely since my parents cared more for going out partying then staying home. I would love one more day with her to share the joy of my family and to be able to sit down with her to just talk, listen and feel the warmth that everyone around her felt. I love you Grandma.

This is one of the hardest months of the year for me, because I lost my sister to what started out as cervical cancer, a very curable disease. So that is the person I would want to spend one more day with. Just doing what sisters do, maybe shop, have lunch, watch tv and talk about our favorite shows, our kids. To tell her how much I love her, and envy her. The person she was. The mom she was, the friend she was and to tell her how beautiful I always thought she was, and to hug her one more time. I can't seem to get past the pain and missing her so much. I never knew how much she was a part of who I was. Being her big sister meant the world to me and I never got to tell her. Life goes on but I would give anything to go back to one more day with her.

Dear Oprah

I've lost both of my daughters. Stacey was 13 and passed in 1990. Cari was 15 and passed in 1999.
They both died from SADS.
I was just a mother.
Oh how I would love one more day with both of my wonderful girls.
It would be interesting because Cari would be older than Stacey.
How would this work? Would Cari now be the big sister? Or would Stacey still be the older one. They were almost 7 years apart in age. Stacey always watched out for her baby sister. They were very close.
I would hang on every word they would say. Oh my, how wonderful that would be.
To smell their hair and breath again. Funny how a Mom misses things like that.
I'm divorced now and don't have any other children. Alone in this world. But I know with all my heart and all my soul where they are. JESUS is holding my girls! I ask HIM sometimes to give them a kiss form Mommy.They are both waiting for me to join them when the LORD says it's time.

Thank you for the opportunity to write this. It's something I've always wanted to say.
Cathy Smith Ona wv

I would spend one more day with Kelley my husbands cousin who we lost in a car accident a year ago. Kelley was only 17 years old at the time she went to heaven. She was such an angel here on earth as I'm sure she is in heaven. She was so full of life and her laugh it was loud and I really miss hearing her laugh. She loved my kids dearly and they loved her so much! They miss her and not a day goes by that we do not think of her. You never think that you wont have a chance to say goodbye or I love you to someone NEVER! How could anyone imagine that she would never make it back from work. I think that was the hardest part, not being able to say goodbye! Only god knows the last day we will spend here. She would come home from school and spend the rest of the time before going to work watching cartoons with my kids and they loved it! They loved to spend all day in her room talking to her, watching tv, dancing, and even cleaning. She was a very special person and I wish we had more time with there. If I could spend one last day with her it would be just talking and getting to know better. Talking about boys, school, dreams, wishes, or anything that was important to her. When you realize that you no longer have time with that person it makes you feel sad inside. Because we all become so busy with everyday things like work that we forget what is really important. Kelley thought me to value my family and the time I have with them. I try to spend as much time as possible with those I love. I say I love you more often and try to listen more. I know that Kelley knows how much we all miss and love her. Kelley we will all be together again until than lots of hugs and kisses!

If I could spend one more day with someone I loved, it would definately be my grandma. She has been gone for nearly 2 years now and there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about her. She was my mentor and my hero when she was alive and now I know that she is my Guardian Angel. She was 97 years old when she passed and there are a great deal of things that she taught me, like how to bake perfect chocolate chip cookies (and eat most of the raw batter too!!). If I had one more day with her, I would sit down with her and have a nice big cup of tea and reminice about the many days spent at her house, and maybe even make that perfect batch of chocolate chip cookies. I would give anything just to hear her talk to me, to hear her laugh and to remind her of how much I love her. Love ya Grams!!