Tuesday, December 28, 2010

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!  

12 comments:

  1. Such a touching post. I can't see.....Thank you for sharing the meeting of the Deans. I'm sure it was a special evening and you have priceless photos that captured the moment. Take care, Mama! Happy New Year to you and your family.

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  2. Thank You for sharing such a personal and beautiful part of your life with us. People like Dean are an inspiration to us all.

    I am happy that you and your family had such a great gift for Christmas and bless you and your family in the New Year!

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  3. that is the most precious moment to treasure forever! it brings tears to my eyes reading your post! it is wonderful that dean and asa could finally meet and baby asa is definitely blessed to have been named after such a wonderful man! congrats to dean on his nike award! he truly deserves it! happy new year to you and your wonderful family!

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  4. Aww mama! This is a beautiful post and I'm so glad that you shared this with us!! How wonderful that the 2 Deans got to meet. Big Dean has a beautiful, vibrant smile and I'm sure little Dean felt all of the love that he received that night. What an honor! Happy New Year to you and your family!

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  5. thanks for this sweet post, Mama. all the best wishes to you and your wonderful family. it's so touching to see and read about the meeting of the two Deans. big hugs to you.

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  6. i have tears in my eyes as i type this out - such a touching story. what a beautiful x-mas surprise for the family.

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  7. Thank you for sharing such a personal and touching heartfelt experience. What a wonderful blessed gift for you and your family.
    Have a wonderful New Year filled with love and family!
    Hugs to you,
    Wayna (Creative Grammie)

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  8. Such a sweet and touching story!! Thank you for sharing with us!!!

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  9. This is such a touching post Mama! I'm so happy for your family that you were all able to spend time together this Christmas. TFS your beautiful pics too! Have a very safe and Happy New Year! See you in 2011!

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  10. Sorry I have been gone so long. But I do love reading your posts about family. I have tears in my eyes knowing the story and that even though we may be sad here on earth...God has bigger and better plans for him in heaven. I am so glad they got to meet and that you have pictures you can treasure and share. well hope you had a fabulous new year. we will get together real soon. take care! big hugs to you!

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  11. Such a wonderful story!!! Thank you so much for sharing...Thanks for your visit to me as well!!! Hope you and your family have a marvelous New Year!!! Hugs...Jacque

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  12. This is such a touching post Mama! I had tears in my eyes reading it! Such a precious moment having the 2 Dean's meet and spend some time together! Thank you for sharing such a special moment with us!

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Thanks for stopping by! I appreciate all the kind and sweet comments that y'all leave 4 me . . . showing me some luv from your {HEART} makes me smile and want to create, inspire and ramble some more! :o)