Does this sound count as annoying?

Back in the '80s, we were in the midst of renovating our house. Because of all the dust and the work going on, we temporarily moved in with our grandparents for a couple of months. They lived in a different town but not that far off. My grandparents were really funny people. They loved to laugh and we had a wonderful time staying there. It must have been around the summer that we were hosted in their house, because I remember the jingle of the ice cream truck. Most of the time, my siblings and I were playing outside. Their was a rectangular grass field not far from the house. A small chapel was on one of the sides and we used to play ball there. As soon as we heard the ice cream truck, we would race back to grannies house and beg for some change. She would always give us the money to buy ice cream. We would pick a corn with one or two flavors of ice cream. Grandma would pick an ice cream sandwich, 3 flavors in one: vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. When I think of it, I can still see her lick the sides, her eyes closed so she would enjoy her treat to the fullest. I don't recall my grandfather having any. Maybe he wasn't home around that time, I don't remember.
I have good memories of the time I spent with my grandparents. Grandma was there for us and we could always play outside with our friends until sunset. Sometimes our uncle stopped by. He owned an MG convertible and every time he drove into that street, he would honk his horn to warn us. We were all chipper and jumping up and down so he would take us along for a ride..

Nowadays, there is no more ice cream truck in our town. It's a shame. There used to be one, when we just bought the house. Some neighbors complained about the hour the truck drove through town. Their kids would be in bed and rush downstairs to get a cold treat. Maybe the truck will come back one day... just maybe. Just for old time's sake..

It's a small world after all

You and your brother immediately stole my heart, when I entered your home in the middle of a snowstorm that March. Your older brother sat in my lap right away, while you were a bit more timid. But soon enough we got to know each other better and we became best friends.
It was my job to bring you to school and pick you up around lunch. We had long chats in the kitchen and we had so much fun playing in the basement. I remember you riding your go-cart in the snow, wearing nothing more than a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Your ear to ear grin is a picture in my head I will never forget..

We keep in touch, your parents and I. When they let me know you were diagnosed with diabetes in 2006,  I was gobsmacked.. No... not you David... that was not fair!!!! I got my diagnosis 4 years earlier, but I was already an adult, married, with two children. You were only 18 and you have a whole life ahead of you. You were not supposed to get diabetes. I wished for you and your family a happy and healthy life without worries.

You had a hard time letting diabetes come into your life. It was not something you welcomed.. I wanted to come over and give you a hug. Let you know everything was going to be okay. I wanted to relieve your pain. Diabetes is a chronic disease, and up till now there's no cure. We keep hearing a cure is in sight, but so far, we're still waiting. We still need to provide our bodies with insulin and we need to poke our fingers several times a day to prevent complications in later life.

I read your family article online. I'm so proud of you guys! What a commitment. You are so lucky to have a supportive family. They love you to pieces, David! You're a pretty special boy, you know. I know you're a man now and it's been so long since I last saw you, that I still see the little blond boy you were back then in Chelmsford, Mass.

Let me copy the article here. The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation could use some extra funding. Good luck David! Till we meet again. Say hi to your mom, dad and brother for me, okay?

Chelmsford Family To Walk to Cure Diabetes

The McHugh Family will participate in the annual 5k.

• By Audrey Mangone
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• 6:00am

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Chelmsford residents Dennis and Susan McHugh walked their first 5K with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) five years ago and have not given their feet a break since.

“The annual JDRF walk is very personal for us,” said Susan McHugh.

The couple discovered JDRF back in 2006 shortly after their son David, then 18, was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.

“When we first found out our son was diagnosed we really didn’t know how to help him or ourselves,” said McHugh. “The disease really is a life-changing thing that affects so many people.”

Following the news of their son’s diagnosis, the family contacted a close friend who referred them to JDRF. According to McHugh, she and her family quickly became involved in the organization, walking in the Boston 5k that year.

“We walked then and continue to walk because we see what the organization is doing. We want more of it and we want to support it,” she said.

Since 2006, the McHugh family has continued to work with JDRF not only by consecutively participating in their annual 5k, but also by speaking at informational meetings hosted by the foundation as well.

“There are a lot of organizations out there doing great things, and JDRF is one of them,” said McHugh. “They really have found the magic and caused us to be hopeful.”

McHugh said seeing the event grow year after year has brought her hope.

“The first walk we did was amazing,” McHugh said. “We met other families going through the same thing we were, and there was so much positive energy. We were all there to help support the research that will make the lives of those affected better now.”

McHugh said the families she's met through the walk are inspiration for her to keep going.

“Living with diabetes is manageable, but it comes with lots of complications,” she said. “It’s not like you can skip treatment one night, like you can with brushing your teeth. It’s an ongoing thing. The only thing consistent about the disease is its inconsistency.”

McHugh hopes that the support from her family and others in and around Chelmsford continue to raise money and awareness for a promising future of diabetes.

“I believe the disease can be cured,” McHugh said. “The answer is out there, and we just have to push it over the edge to us.”

McHugh and her family will be lacing up their sneakers for their fifth 5k with JDRF this Saturday, Oct. 1. She hopes others in the community will support the event as well.

“The walk itself is going to be on a beautiful day, with lots of wonderful people and lots of fun,” she said.

Although she is excited for this year’s event, McHugh knows that her support for JDRF and the future of diabetes is just getting started.

“Things can always happen, and we all must support each other to find a solution,” she said. “We will beat this. We will walk forever if that is what it takes.”

To donate to the McHugh family in their walk in the JDRF 5K this Saturday, please visitwww.walk.jdrf.org, click on "Donate to a Walker" and type in Susan or Dennis McHugh. 

Goosebumps

Every now and then, there are stories that take my breath away. Stories worth mentioning, stories to be shared. Today I would like to share this video with you. There's not much I can say in advance. Just see for yourself and you will know what I mean..

Imagine

The reason why

For about 6 months, I took care of you and your (at the time) 4 siblings. There were two of us, two au pairs, to take care of you all.
There was your oldest brother, a very bright kid and very responsible. He was eager to learn and he always got good grades. Your sister just started primary school and reading and writing was what she liked to do best. She was a very pretty girl with long, black, shiny hair. I loved to read to her when she was ready to go to bed. This brother and sister were very good at playing the piano together, dressed in their best outfits.
The next in line was another boy. A bit more shy but at the same time full of life and sometimes mischief. Not meant in a bad way, he was just a little boy who liked to have fun and fool around. He loved to play in his room and the two of us had long conversations.
Then there was you. You had the most beautiful blue eyes I had ever seen. I still have your pictures. All of you children had special names, but yours I had never heard before. You were a special little boy, only 3 at the time. You liked to cuddle and I always thought you would break many hearts because the girls would fall for you by the dozen.. You liked to sit in my lap and we would sing songs together.
Your baby sister just learned how to walk. She was the little princess of the house and we all liked to pamper her.
I got to know my husband and I got pregnant. I left your house. Later, I learned you got another baby sister. There were 6 of you then. A beautiful family in a house like a castle..

I heard the awful news just the other day. It hit me in the face. It was so surreal. You decided you no longer wanted to remain in this world. What happened that life wasn't worth living any more? Why, sweet little boy.. why? I assume you had your reasons and maybe life wasn't that good for you as people thought. I hear you had so many friends. They will all miss you. So will your family. You will always remain one of 6. To me, you will always be that little boy with the bright eyes and the wonderful smile. RIP Augustin. I hope you will find the tranquillity you needed so desperately..