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~Precious Memories~
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| "One of the most valuable things we can do to heal one another
is listen to each other's stories."
- Rebecca Falls
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I Will Love You
As long as I can dream,
As long as I can think,
As long as I have a memory,
I will love you.
As long as I have eyes to see,
And ears to hear,
And lips to speak...
I will love you.
As long as I have a heart to feel,
A soul stirring inside me,
An imagination to hold you...
I will love you.
As long as there is a time,
As long as there is a love
As long as I have breath to speak your name
I will love you!
*~Author Unknown~*
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| Wayne's Birth Certificate...
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(Wayne's Dad's name is blocked to protect his privacy)
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| Happy Baby... |
Wayne was born with no hair and beautiful blue eyes. His eyes stayed blue...his hair slowly grew and he was a white/blonde little fella for many years. Around the time he started elementary school, his hair began to darken...until it became a dark brown. But he still had his flashing blue eyes. Wayne was a good baby. Not too much crying..other then when he needed something. Once he begin to smile...he charmed everyone...and he never stopped. |
| Wayne's 'Revealing' Expressions... |
When Wayne was young, his smiles and facial expressions were so open and honest. He had several different smiles and once you got to know him, you could tell if he was genuinely happy, being mischievous, laughing inwardly, being polite, etc. When he was about 6-7 years old, I would tell him that I always knew when he had done something because I could 'read' his cheeks. I never explained fully that it was usually his smiles and facial expressions that would give him away. I'll never forget the day he approached me after doing something (and at this point I don't remember what)....his hands were up, palms open and pressed tightly across his cheeks...covering them! He proceeded to tell me about whatever he had done. It was all I could do not to fall down laughing because he was covering his cheeks so I couldn't 'read' them! :) He kept those different smiles but they became a bit more guarded in his teen years...but every once in awhile, I would catch a glimpse of one. |
| Mother's Day Present... |
Wayne gave me this beautiful framed picture when he was around 4 or 5 years old. He was in preschool a couple of mornings a week. He helped glue the buttons on the frame and the teacher inserted the picture. This is one of his 'impish' smiles :)
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| Letter found in my keepsake box...There is not a date but Wayne was using 'invented' spelling so I think he may have written this sometime 1st- 2nd grade. |
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| Wayne in our wedding... |
 When I remarried on April 15, 2000...Wayne walked me down the aisle and presented me. I was so proud to have him escort me to the alter. And he loved wearing the tux! This picture was taken as he walked out of the sanctuary after the ceremony. |
| Last Movie with Wayne.....this is the last movie I took Wayne to see. He was excited about going to an "R" rated movie. after the movie, we had a very deep and intense conversation about it. I just recently found his ticket stub in his room with s |
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| Cardboard House... |
I made this house out of large cardboard boxes and Wayne played and played in it. He had toy boxes and shelves where he (usually) kept everything neat and in place. He frequently added stickers and pictures to the outside of the house.
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| WAYNE'S PAINTING... |
When Wayne was about 4 or 5, we went shopping for his bedroom. He picked out a new bed, a blue and green bedspread, blue and green sheets and this painting. He looked at the paintings longer than anything else for his room..and finally selected this one. |
| WAYNE'S SPECIAL THINGS AND MORE... |
These are a few of the 'special things' from Wayne's room. The white dog is 'Christmas' and Wayne slept with him for many, many years. The blue rabbit is 'Thumper' and Wayne would carry Thumper everywhere with him. The framed picture is a 'Positive Thinking' poem given to Wayne by his Grandfather on his 16th birthday. The Pearl Harbor book was a gift from me. Wayne was fascinatied with the Pearl Harbor movie and the true events of that battle.
The framed flag is an American Flag. It was presented in honor of Wayne by the Greene Central JROTC. |
| DANIEL BOONE/DAVEY CROCKETT.... |
Two of Wayne's favorite characters were Daniel Boone & Davey Crockett. When he was about 10-11years old, he wanted to be either Boone or Crockett. I ran to the fabric store and bought some brown remnant material. At home, I made Wayne lie down on top of it and I traced his body to determine the pattern. Then I quickly sewed and put it all together. He not only wore this costume for that halloween but he played in it until he outgrew it. These pictures were taken at Wayne's Grandparent's house. We always decorated their foyer with elaborate halloween decorations..just for Wayne.
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| WAYNE'S CATS...by Nikki Page (Wayne's Aunt) |
One of my favorite memories about my nephew Wayne was when he was a little boy, not more than three or four years old. He and my sister were living at my parents house as my sister and her husband (Wayne's father) had divorced. It was a hard struggle for both my sister and Wayne, and it was a big adjustment. Wayne was always a very sensitive child, and I think one of the ways that he chose to cope with all that was going on at that time was to decide that he wanted a cat, and I mean, he WANTED a cat. My sister promised him that he could get one when they moved to their own home, but that was several years away.
Anyway, during this time I had a cat named Festus, and Wayne would come visit me just to see my cat. He'd tell me how much he wanted a cat and how his grandmother wouldn't let him have one because she didn't like cats in the house. He loved to pat and play with Festus each time he visited.
It was during this time that I used one of those big aluminum blue-speckled turkey roasters for a cat box. I got the idea from the Cat Who books written by Lillian Jackson Braun, because her main character used a turkey roaster in the books as a cat box. Not knowing a lot about cats other than being around mine, seeing Festus use his turkey roaster cat box seemed normal to Wayne.
That Thanksgiving I went over to eat with my family. I was talking to my mother and sister in the kitchen, and Wayne was playing in the house. My mother took out her blue-speckled turkey roaster and put it up on top of the stove. When Wayne came running into the kitchen and saw that turkey roaster, he stopped short, his eyes got big, and he begain jumping up and down and clapping his hands, shouting, "We're getting a cat, we're getting a cat."
Although I know it was a huge disappointment for Wayne to find out it was just to cook the turkey in, every Thanksgiving I am reminded of the innocence of a child who, for a second, thought his dream had come true.
Fortunately, several years later when Wayne and my sister moved to their own home, he did get two cats, Whiskers and Blondie, that he loved very much. Both cats still are living with my sister, but they'll always be "Wayne's cats." |
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