This is a tribute to three very special men in my life...
The first one I met on February 9,1952.
His name is Frank Victor Rygwalski...
My Father...
He was always gentle and kind, the most compassionate man I ever knew.
He taught many lessons about this big world we live in and I learned them all from under the safe and secure protection of his big strong arms.
Those big arms seemed to protect all five of us kids from the storms that lay ahead for each of us.
As we all know altho our childhoods are usually filled with sunshine and laughter there is always a dark cloud looming
just beyond the horizon.
Dad was the first to always answer the cry of one of his childern in distress, and always with the kind gentleness of a
wisdom far beyond our young lives.
He was the one who would drop anything to be there if ever we cried out from anger
or pain.
He mended the broken hearts of his daughters and wiped away the tears with the gentlness of an angel.
Yet he still guided with a strong hand to keep his flock (three boys and two girls) on the straight and narrow road to
learning right from wrong.
No sacrifice was ever to great for his family.!
He answered the painful cry of a his daughter's heart being
ireplaceably broken by the violent death of her only child with such amazing strength and gentlness that only a
father with great love for his family could do.
I still hear his calming voice saying "take a deep breathe and tell me
calmly what your saying"
On a cold winter night he put my Mother and sister in the car and drove 1000 miles to be near
his daughter in her time of pain and grief to unrecognizably deep to be believed.
With out a second thought to his own
health and safety, one of his children was in pain and nothing was going to stop him from being there.
This man has sacrificed much for the love of his family there is no way anyone could not love My Father,
Sadly my Dad passed away April 21,2005. There are no words to express how much he is missed.
Merry Christmas to the first Man I ever LOVED!
"I love you with all my Heart Dad!"
My Husband...
On Nov 11, 1971 another man walked into my life and once agian ... love at first sight.
Here stood a young man with eyes shining bright and all the gentle kindness of my father stood before my once again.
On Nov 13 1971 this man Clinton Eugene Hedglin (Doc) asked me to marry him.
I was so taken by this man and his proposal how could I say no to such a kind and generously giving man who so reminded me of my one true love.Dad!
Doc soon became another true love and taught me many more lessons that would open up another new world to me.
On Dec.9,1971 I married this man and have never ever once regretted that decision.
His patience and kindness are a gift rarely found anymore.
We struggled to begin a family, I longed to give him a son that would be just like my Dad and and my husband but this appeared to be a dream out of reach and though I become discouraged and frustrated, he seemed to always know deep down in his heart that someday this dream to would come true.
He always found a way to encourage me in this endeavor with the sweet words " just think how much more sweet it will be when we finally do have a child!".
Four years later we joined the adoption lists, he was the one who constantly gave me the strength and the courage to keep believeing that one day we would hold a beautifully sweet little boy who would have all the gentle kind and compassioate feelings of his Grandfather, My Dad and all the playful mischievoiusness of his Dad, My Husband.
and as always he was so very RIGHT!
"I love you with all my Heart Doc!"
My Beloved Son...
On Dec 4,1978 the doorbell rang and into my arms was placed the sweetest bright blue eyed baby boy you have ever seen ... We named him Joshua, and all was right with the world !
I had been given the pleasure of loving three very special men in just one brief lifetime of 27 years.
In eighteen years I had the pleasure of watching Doc become the loving and compassionatly patient man that I had first fallen in love with so very many years earlier.
he was every bit as kind and comapssionatly gentle as with our Son as my Dad was with me.
For eighteen years even tho there were rough spots as all marriage do have we were completely happy.
Who could ever ask for more then this.
Three very special men had graced my life and shown me so much beauty in a world that seemed to be growing colder with each passing day.
I learned to see the world thru the eyes of a mother now and there was much to fear in this world.
How would I ever raise this child and keep him safe from harm the world was growing much colder then the one I had been sheltered from.
But always I had My Fathers constant strength and my husband undying faith to keep me trying to keep our son safe.
For eightteen years WE all did just that.
But fate will always play it's tricks and we cannot always forsee the future... we lost our child the sweet third man I ever loved and the one whose taught me unconditional love.
This is the one who taught me just how short forever is.
20 months later I still sting from that fateful night when a shot rang out and destroyed a family.
But I still have Dad's big strong arm to shelter me and Doc's strength to see me thru.
Once again I prepare for fate to rear it's ugly head and snatch away yet one more of the greatest men I have ever had the pleasure of loving.
As I stand helplessly by knowing that all I can do is utter the words once again...
"I WILL LOVE YOU FOREVER AND A DAY!"
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO THE THREE MOST LOVED MEN IN MY LIFE!
To My precious Mother...
who feels the pain so deeply I wish you a Merry Christams filled with the brightest of stars and sprinkled with angel dust.
Look deep within your heart Mom all the courage is there buried deep within you.
You can draw on that strength for you are much stronger than you believe you are!
I will always love you!
Peace be with you today.
