(1 - Bri)

A Slice of Heaven

As humble as your heart was

Pure and quiet and sweet

Your love of words spoke loudly

Words that stirred deeply in your heart through prayer

flying on angel’s wings

Words that came from your soul and touched the souls of your children, your wife, your grandchildren and every living person that was lucky enough to see your heart and the threads of gold woven true

Words that you captured and carried with you from your football days and stories of the olden days as you called them

those words that were actually secret memories that you carried with you all those years because you took every beautiful word that was ever spoken by you, to you, for you, with you forever

as you journeyed through this beautiful life

So that you could allow those words to fly into the hearts of those who need to hear life’s most important lessons

(2 - Nick)

Your words were tiny lessons packaged and sprinkled with God’s love

And if you listened quietly enough- you knew they were leaving imprints on your heart

Your words carried love and stories and whispers of past and present

Always healing never hurting

because you understood that

Those words and sweet memories threaded together from your childhood and high school years, college years and adulthood created the lad you wanted to be..the lad you became…the lad you always were

And you felt with those words and your every being

And you wanted us to learn to cherish the memories alongside our journeys as well because

Life really is a slice of heaven

 A little Irish Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood

and a little harmonica to boot

And so we thought it only fitting that we write our words and spin them into quilted lessons we will always remember are a part of us just like they were a part of who you were

We say these words as a humble prayer and know you are smiling down on us all and so it is only fitting we start like this

(3 - Connor)

To our Dearest Lad:

From our earliest days picking vegetables in your garden

Kicking the soccer ball in the grass

Watching the blue skies above us while running through the sprinkler

Joy in our pockets

playing baseball

And catching the tears of happiness and sometimes sorrow falling from our cheeks and onto the grasses full of green droplets of love

We realized you had given us your own slice of Heaven.

Because if you didn’t know it

Every single one of your grandchildren found refuge in our heaven, the slice you crafted and molded and carved and painted with grandma

Like the artisans you were

200 Meadow Lane

Was heaven and will always be the heaven you gave to us.

(4 - Gage)

Hours upon hours of Christmas’ past performing plays for our elders

Creating the secret cousin’s club in the back of a closet that you eventually found

Chicken wings thick with sauce and pizza and Scrooge, New Year’s parades and scavenger hunts

Hours of sled riding and building snowmen

Cups of cocoa and waffles

Quiet mornings of stepping over the cousins as we slept underneath tables and besides sofas and sometime right by the John

Stinky but still beautiful

Quick trips up to Dash for a little spot coffee as we crowded around the wooden table that was always too small to fit everyone but somehow

Fit everyone like some kind of magic trick

Or maybe it was just love

Because you knew how important it was for family to sit beside one another

Pass gas together

Love one another even if that love feels a little cramped sometimes

(5 - David)

And we didn’t keep your heaven secret because our friends knew about 200 Meadow Lane

The laughter that oozed from

The hearts of all who entered it’s humble doorway

Because sometimes heaven cannot be kept quiet

Your light spilled from the cracks and crevices and we caught little spoonful’s of sunshine and shared your love with others

Because you know Grandpa

Not everyone is as lucky as we were

From Birthday parties and capri suns, first communions, confirmations, graduations, weddings, Hall of Fame Inductions, travel journeys and simple Father’s Day celebrations on the back porch with chef hats and food plentiful

You taught us that there is no deed too small

Nor a day that should pass where we shouldn’t remember to appreciate that the simple things in life are the most beautiful

celebrations

We are called to love

To show love

And to become love

(6 – Bri)

So as I was driving to school to visit my little cherubs as you called them and a white bird fluttered past the front of my car

I checked twice to be sure it wasn’t a plastic bag

And I realized it was a bird

Sometimes you don’t have to look so hard

For heaven it may flutter past

Like a gentle breeze and whisper in our ear just to remind us of the beauty of your life

And your heart

Which will remain in ours for the remainder of our journey through life

And we know that someday, if we are so lucky to do so, we will be in the bleachers watching you play football alongside the angels and Lehey’s Lads and all your buddies and siblings and parents

Sneaking bologna in your pockets for a little snack with the smell of fresh cut grass, smoking cigars “Like the olden days”

with the melody of the Notre Dame Fight song weaving through the trees.

“Mmmm…lad…”

We know you will be tinkering on the piano

Peacefully

 and playing that same fight song as well

Until then we hold you forever in our hearts

Remembering to say “Yes Dear”

to all that is asked of us

but most importantly

living a life of love

wrapped with family

clothed in kindness

We love you, grandpa. We miss you.

We thank you for giving us

A little slice of heaven