We’ve been home a little over a week now. And it’s been really hard to shake the Ohio family vibe. We spent many sunsets at my Aunt Suzy’s pond fishing, chatting and laughing. Peacefully taking it all in.

This lady raised three strong, smart boys. My cousin, Mark, is always there for her. He’s the oldest of all of our cousins and has always, even from a young age, showed compassion and love to all of us. It makes me so happy how he engages with Zachary. And then there is Chris who took time to show Zachary how to throw a football. Fun to watch and yes Chris can still put zip on that ball. We missed Bradley Jay this time but our childhood was spent with him playing with us. What a wonderful legacy Aunt Suzy has built. She is deeply loved by so many. I always enjoy my time talking with her.

We also got to see Uncle Dale and Aunt Margie. It’s always fun to watch Uncle Dale show his cars, a super cute VW bug and Corvette. You want to talk about service to the community. Both of them have devoted their life to it. They too are loved by family and many friends.

And then there is Uncle Dick. He is doing so incredibly well. If the dictionary needed an image for selfless, his would come in view. We are so proud of him and everything he has done in his life. We spent a fun day in Marblehead with him. But the best part was watching my dad and Zachary fix his lawn mower. Let’s just say we missed the ultimate supervisor in Uncle Larry.

We spent our last night together with Z fishing at a pond. We laughed when grandpa launched a leer far into it. We watched as geese frantically scattered towards as Z searched for the perfect fishing spot. We laughed and almost cried as we said our goodbyes and all the while the warmth of family love was all around us.

Zachary is incredibly lucky to have two sets of family locally and in Ohio. They each bring so much love and joy to us. And we’ve been gifted with many fabulous memories. You really can’t match the love of family.