Many Thanks for your Help and Support

h - Thanks for thinking of your Aunt Pam and us. It is the love and support of good relatives and friends that has helped us through part of this terrible time. Special thanks to my sister-in-laws and in particular my favorite redhead sister-in-law (& by the way my only redhead sister-in-law); Uncle Manny & Aunt Holly; my friend from high school Bernie & his wife Margarita (Bernie is the definition of a Good Friend - someone there through thick and thin times); and many others who have called, send cards, etc.

The lengths that some have gone to help us is remarkable and sometimes unexpected. My weekend job, a group home, has provided me with three days of Bereavement pay – thank you Sharon in Personnel. Both Sean & Ryan have been extremely helpful pitching in and picking up extra household chores and helping each other.

We are all proud of both Sean & Ryan. Both these young men have had their share of difficulties, but have remained good sons & good citizens. (This is not mere lip service to Sean & Ryan. Some of the Group Home boys that I’ve worked with are neither Good sons nor Good citizens. I know what evil some unloved, some abandoned, confused, and lost boys are capable of. Many of these boys are lost to Gangs, Drugs, and Violence.)

Why this has happened, well none of us can truly fathom it. We must rely on our faith. Your Aunt Pam is at rest and is in the company of our dear departed loved ones that have gone in faith before her. Your Aunt Pam was a woman of faith. Baptized and blessed throughout her life. We have been blessed to have had Pam as loving sister, daughter, friend, wife, mother, and neighbor.

Pam - We all love and miss you. Jerry and the Kids. (& Opal (woof) ;-) GC

Ryan

Ryan at Uncle Manny and Aunt Holly's
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Ryan, he's a Wonder. Yes!!! A true Wonder Boy!!!

Ryan and Pam are working hard at home doing Independent Study for seventh grade. Ryan is doing really well receiving four B’s and one A in his latest semester report card. Seventh grade has been an adjustment for Ryan. But, he’s looking forward to going back to Clement Middle School for eighth grade. If Ryan has stumbled, he remains unbowed.

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“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

Theodore Roosevelt, 1910

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Ryan certainly is not a timid soul. And he’s had his share or victories and defeats. Ryan does his best and works hard through the bad times. He is moving steadily back to better times an better days
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Ryan recently received a First Place ribbon at the last school district Science Fair. When he was younger, he tried his hand at both organized baseball and organized basketball at the local Community Center. He still shots hoops occasionally with his Dad for highly contested games of “Horse”. Ryan specialty is the backward shot. Back to the basket, Ryan launches the ball two handed over his head and arching the shot into the waiting basket. Now, that’s what I call “Horse”!!! His recent fractured toe as limited his activity. But, he seems hale and hearty. Ready to tackle other endeavors.
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Ryan is working on honing his drawing skills. Working with pencil and paper, he is showing great improvement in learning the proportions and drawing of the human figure in motion. Though heavy handed at times, he is refining his style to achieve more realistic facial and figure drawing. His drawings are patterned on the popular Japanese Anime style of art.
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The Anime style is highly stylized with flamboyant long-legged figures. The people sport huge expressive eyes and the people are usually shown in dramatic action poses. The hair is wind blown with long swirls or highly coiffed in high and overly teased hairdos. Though not realistic the Anime people evoke high action and adventure with a unique usually sharp edged flair. These Heroic figures are usually equipped with sword, staff, and an assortment of Martial Arts weapons.
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Ryan’s drawing are usually inspired by the Comic Heroes of DC Comics (Batman, etc.) or Animated Television (Teen Titans, etc.) . But, it is the highly competitive and action packed arena of Video game design and programming that he eventually hopes to be in. Keep up the Good Work. You make us all Proud. ;-) DAD