December 21,
2013
Dear Joshua
& baby Lydia,
I wanted to
tell you a little bit about your Nana, Alexis Zaloudek. Joshua had about 2 ½ great years bonding with
Nana. Unfortunately at the start of the
year 2012 you were to turn 3 years old, Nana had been in/out of hospitals and
rehabs, trying to get well enough to come back home, only she never did make it
back home. She went home to live with
Jesus the day before Halloween, 2012.
Baby Lydia, you were conceived the following Spring, around Mother’s
Day, 2013, and you are due right around Nana’s birthday (February 1st). I did not plan that by the way.
Joshua – you
had many happy memories of Nana as a little guy. Nana (& Poppy) were with Mommy and Daddy
when you were born in the hospital. Even
a year after Nana went to live with Jesus, you still thought Nana was at the
hospital and had sometimes asked to go see her.
Nana always made you laugh and she loved being silly with you and making
funny sounds and faces to bring a smile to your face. She enjoyed seeing how much you were changing
and growing just in the first few years she had with you. It was almost like she knew she may not be
around to see you grow up even more.
Sometimes she would be sad and cry saying that she’s afraid she won’t
get to see you grow up into a little boy and young man. Nana always made the most of the time she had
with you. Sometimes Nana would watch you
so that Mommy could go to the store and get some shopping done, and I would
often pick up breakfast or lunch for us, too.
Nana enjoyed learning colors and letters with you, and talking about
your trains, and watching Thomas with you.
Phoebe, Nana & Poppy’s dachshund was also Nana’s best pal, and you
have grown to love Phoebe too, although she’s getting older now and not running
around as much as you might like her to.
Baby Lydia –
Nana always wanted Mommy to have a baby girl.
It’s such a blessing to find out I am having a little girl. And especially with how fast the existence of
you came about. It was like you were
just waiting for us. I honestly couldn’t
believe I was having a girl, so every sonogram I have had (which has been quite
a few now) I have asked them to check and make sure it was really a girl. This last sonogram at 32 weeks I’m completely
convinced. Thank you for cooperating for
the best picture! I am giving you the
middle name, Alexis, after your Nana. I
am sad that you will never meet her during your earthly life, and I am sad that
I don’t have my Mommy to be with me right now during my pregnancy with you and
all of the wonderful moments that will soon follow. I sit here and cry as I think of this, but I
know Nana will be around. Her spirit will
always be with us, and one day when we meet Jesus too, Nana will be there with
her angel wings to give us a great big hug and a kiss.
Poppy
delivered a wonderfully written eulogy of Nana’s life and all about the woman
she was here during her physical earthly life.
I have a recording of this on CD that you will be able to listen to one
day. But, I wanted to tell you a little
bit about your Nana, Alexis in my own words…
Your Nana had such a beautiful, kind,
loving, and most of all giving nature about her. She loved God, loved her Church, loved her family
& friends, and just loved life and laughter. It was always fun to laugh with Nana. I miss her laughter very much…it was very
contagious! I would laugh to tears at
times when she & Poppy would carry on with one another. I wish I could see your Poppy laugh that hard
again.
Nana was always looking out for
others. If someone in need crossed her
path, she found a way to help. It was
just in her nature to do that. And if
she couldn’t physically do something, she would find a way to at least do the
best she could depending on the situation.
I always admired Nana’s patience and grace about things. I don’t ever remember her getting as frazzled
as Mommy gets at times. I guess you slow
down a bit as time goes on, and you keep learning lessons even as adults. Nana loved to read a lot, and she liked to
sit outside on her back porch and watch Poppy work in the garden or the
yard. I liked to sit outside with her
too and just talk. She loved bright
colors and Spring time or Fall time. She
loved to cook and try new recipes, too.
She was crafty as well and used to sew a lot; she also knitted and made
ceramics. She made several houses, trees
and other things for the Christmas Gardens through the years. We have several of them in our garden. Nana loved to sing songs of praise to God and
enjoyed worshiping on Sundays. She
enjoyed volunteering at the Christian day school when Mommy, Uncle Mike &
Uncle Tim were little, and then went to volunteering in the Church office.
The Epiphany Season is fast approaching
as Christmas is immediately upon us now.
Epiphany is the season we celebrate in our Church immediately following
Christmas. It’s like the continuation of
the revelation that Jesus came, as the son of God, in human flesh, as he was
born into this world. St. Paul’s will be
dedicating a new Epiphany Star in memory of Nana, Alexis on January 5,
2014. The star will hang until the end
of each Epiphany Season which, for 2014, will be March 1st-2nd.
Our hope and prayer is that we can have baby
Lydia baptized on the final weekend Nana’s star will hang in the Church, at
least during its first debut. The
Epiphany Star will be a 3D metal sculpture with many panels of stained glass,
some with artistic symbols and drawings (the Wise men, the Crown, the
Dove). Colors represented will be gold,
blue, pearl white and green. And, it
will be lit from the inside. Magnificent
and magical it will be.
Always know
the hope, love, joy & peace from our Savior Jesus, and may you always feel
Nana’s love through Him. Faith is a
beautiful thing. Never lose that.
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