2-22

2:00 am. what crazy numbers. 2-22 at 2:00 am. what sad numbers. dan lost his biological grandfather, philippe roux, to these numbers. in fact, it was philippe's daughter's birthday today too. *sigh* jack's middle name is philippe after his great grandfather. philippe roux was married to roberta for 68 years. a man who has seen tremendous change in our country and others. served in the United States Air Force, fluent in french & spanish, a WWII veteran - he was a brilliant man and leaves behind 3 grown children. i know it's so hard on his wife and children. we, too, hate to see him depart this earthly land.

while dan didn't get to know him until he was in his twenties or so, it's been a wonderful reunion of family blood.

these pictures are from our cross-country from washington, dc/northern virginia to las cruces, new mexico in september 2006. it was a long journey with lilli, who was then 8 months old, but well worth the trek. i wish jack had the chance to get pictures with his great granddad. philippe held tight to photos of jack up until his passing.

i'm hoping he has united with my parents in the shining light of heaven. my dad (would be 83) and dan's grandfather (88) are about the same age. my dad was 45 when i was born. i'm sure they could share some crazy stories about the service and all that life brought them. this is my wish...

i pray for gram roux and her children. death is brutal to the living soul. time is the greatest thing.