The 2 "DEAN'S" Meet . . .

This Christmas was extra special for me and my family.  We were blessed with our baby boy, Asa, but were also blessed to have had the opportunity to spend ONE more moment with cousin Dean.  Click {HERE} to see why this moment was so special for us.

Dean and his family flew to Hawai`i and it was definitely a surprise to us.  My hubby and I thought it would be the last time we would see Dean when he visited back in August.  You don't know how elated we were to see him last week!  More so because Asa and Dean finally got to meet in person.

Here are the 2 together for the first time . . .

Seeing Dean hold Asa brought tears to my eyes and to the eyes of all the family members who came over for dinner.  Dean physically looks great, but the Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) is rapidly taking away the Dean we all know.  At this moment, Dean smiles, laughs, but doesn't say much which is unlike him.  He doesn't address us by name which causes us to believe Dean has loss memory of who we are.  Dean lacks energy and has trouble doing/remembering how to do simple tasks that we all take for granted like brushing our teeth and using the restroom.   However, as you can see in this picture, one thing remains the same . . . Dean's vibrant smile!  This is DEAN!  He can always light up a room with his infectious smile.

Whenever we have gatherings for a meal, our family will hold hands in a large circle to pray over the food.  This time, we held hands and formed a circle around Dean and Asa who were seated on the couch.  I captured this photo while my MIL prayed.  Throughout the prayer, Dean held Asa ever so tightly in his arms and kissed him gently, over and over again.  OMWord, it just melted my heart!  That night, Dean hardly muttered a word to anyone, but each time he held or tried to interact with Asa, lullabies came out of his mouth and he would say, "Hey big guy!  It's okay big boy!"

This photo is of me saying my good-bye at our Christmas dinner.  It was very hard to say farewell as Dean and his family would travel back to Oregon the next day.  One thing is for certain, the Lord allowed us all one more moment with Dean.  The reason for his trip back to the islands was to be recognized at NIKE's Annual Executive Ceremony over on Lana`i (about 135 executives attended) and to receive NIKE's 2010 Just Do It Award.  The award was given to Dean for his excellence in serving NIKE for 15 years, his utmost integrity, his humbleness, his willingness to work hard, his dedication to the company, . . . in other words, Dean was a man of honor and was greatly respected by all who came into contact with him.  We are all reminded of Dean as a whole and how he lead his 46 years of life, not now living with CJD.   There is no denying, Dean is a perfect middle name for Asa.  Let this be a testimony of faith, hope, love,  & family. 

Thanks for letting me ramble and process all that's been going on.  Once again, from my family to yours . . . Happy Holidays & a Happy New Year!