I'll explain all this tonight. But quickly, I met up with Mom and Joe and Jack at Guy Mason last night. The Fannie Mae Foundation softball team was playing. I was on the HSG so I was able to ride right up to the backstop. There was a hamster that Joe played with. He picked it up and had a blast. I think Jack was a bit scared of it and didn't want to touch it. The cool thing was that he said to me that he had touched so many different animals and reptiles in his long lifetime that he thought he'd give Joe an opportunity to pick up the hamster. He is smart.

I took the pictures with my cell phone and the colors were all screwy so I made them black and white. It is hard to see the hamster but he's there.









I bought a chicken filet sandwich at Rocklands and ate over at Guy Mason. The woman thought I said my name was "Hamlet" when she took my order. Hamlet is a guy from a play by William Shakespeare. I wonder if you ever heard of him in school.

Hamlet is known as the "Melancholy Dane."

Photo of the day. We took this when the Make A Wish people came over to tell you about your trip to Disney World. I was telling Rich that it will be a shock for us to go back to Disney World and not walk in the exits. It was nice not having to wait in line.  

Photo of the day. I am using this new thingie to post pictures and it is really cool. I think I might be able to put stuff from our movies on here now, too.  Stay tuned.

I had a dream last night. We were all leaving the hospital together. We knew you were going to die but you were well enough to leave. When we were all walking to the car I realized that we should go to Disney World. Then I woke up. It was good being with you. It wasn't sad; it was nice.

Today we went to a picnic for the Gan. Joe is starting there in the fall. The picnic was at Discovery Creek at Glen Echo. We haven't been back there since we were there with you. Joe rode the carousel.





He wouldn't go on the carousel at Funland, so this was a big deal. In all of the video of you that I am putting on DVD, there are a lot of carousels. Tonight there was even a real horse. Joe and I watched video that we took of you riding Jester at St. Michaels.

When Mommy was putting Joe to bed tonight he said he wanted the pony to come to our house. Then he said he wanted Henry to come to our house. That made Mommy cry.

I am missing you a whole lot lately. I think it is because of all of the video and the Gan and everything. I have been pretty low, but I am trying really hard to pull myself up.

I love you.

Photo of the day.

Photo of the day.



Look how happy you were. That smile started very early.

I watched the man who is running for Vice President, his name is John Edwards, and his wife on television this morning. They lost their son, Wade, when he was 16. What they said about him was beautiful. I've had to do that a couple of times, but I don't think I ever do you justice.

Last night I transferred from videotape to a DVD the story about you that appeared on Nightline. I was psyched to see one of the opening shots was me holding up the DVD player for you while you were in a CAT Scan. I hadn't noticed that whenever I had watched it in the past. I could only watch about 5 minutes because I got way too sad.
 
Jack has been incredibly sad lately. So sad that he cannot get to sleep. He tells Mom that he is afraid that you scared about being dead. I think he thinks you don't know where you are and are upset. I fell asleep with him a few nights ago and he was okay, so maybe we just need to talk to him as much as he wants to talk about it and fall asleep with him.  I think a "wound" opened up for him, much like it did for me earlier this week.
 
I think being out in St. Michaels surrounded by the entire family was just too much for me to handle.  On Monday I started feeling that nothing mattered. Mom told me that Nana and Papa were pretty sad after everyone left, too.
 
I wanted to tell you that I saw a man wearing a Dana Stubblefield jersey this morning. Remember how I taught you how to say his name. He really didn't do much for the Redskins. I think he may have gone back to San Francisco. We did love his name, though.
 

Photo of the day.

This was last weekend in St. Michaels. When we toasted Nana and Papa's 45th Wedding anniversary, either Nana or Papa made a point to say we were incomplete. You were missing. I got all teary eyed. I knew someone was going to say something. I wanted to someone to say something (I can't) and I knew I was going to be sad. I hope this happens to me at all happy family events forever. I can be happy, but I need to feel you too.

Somehow all of your cousins were wrangled into taking pictures before we sat down for dinner. Everyone looks really good. Rachel and Emma are beautiful; Jack and Michael are handsome; the twin terrors, Joshua and Sam are all grown up; and Joe is just plain cute. I think Nana and Papa look very relaxed and happy. Nana said something to me and Mom when we were taking pictures about thinking of you. I appreciate her saying these things and thinking of you, but I get too emotional to thank her or do anything more than give her a hug. She's the best.

I love when people tell me they are thinking of you or missing you. It means so much to me that you are remembered as a person. A funny, smart, sensitive, loving, great to be around person.

The last one of this bunch of photos is from 5 years ago at Nana and Papa's 40th anniversary. You and Michael were obviously having a good old time. I saw the photo on the wall in the kitchen in St. Michaels that I was thinking about with you "hovering." It was the photo of all of the cousins together taken during this same white t-shirt photo session. I like everyone wearing their own rag tag stuff better.



















p.s. here are a couple more.

Photo of the day.



There was a lot of good video last night of you and Nana and Papa and Grandma. I didn't see Pop Pop Teddy. Mom suggested I put a DVD together of you with Nana and Papa and give it to them. I think that is a great idea.

I cannot believe what I am watching. Turtle Races! I am still transferring all of the video to DVD and tonight's tape is when we fist arrived in Minnesota. The beginning of the tape has you and Jack are saying hello from the parking lot of the Mall of America, and I am up to the point where you are hanging out with the Minnesota Viking cheerleaders. Dude! You are a dancing, high-fiving, hugging maniac. This is a great surprise. I am glad I have this on tape.

One day I'll put a "Best of Henry" video on here (somehow) and I'll make sure to include stuff from the Turtle Races.

Jack is Major D. Layer tonight when it comes to going to bed. Mom told me he fell asleep at camp the other day. We gotta figure something out.

Photo of the day. This was you at SeaWorld in Orlando.

This is a guy who I listen to on the radio. He confirms what I was thinking about what people believe is the worst thing that can happen to you.



I am glad you died in Mommy's arms. You went from the baby that I used to hold up and fly around in one hand hand to the kid that I couldn't lift at the very end to put you on Mom's lap because of all the fluid. You weighed a ton at the end. Kinda crazy since we spent all the time leading up to that just pleading with you to eat something.

I love you handsome.

I saw this ad in a magazine at Nana and Papa Sy's house this past weekend in St. Michaels. Looks like my kind of place. I have never heard of it before and today I looked it up on the Internet and can't find it anywhere. Strange. Could be a good mystery for Scooby and Shaggy to solve.