Birthdays in our house can come and go, leaving behind a continuing sense of disbelief, that in the midst of our sadness, another year in the life of one of us can somehow have passed. That through a whole year, Aoife was not here to share in all that has happened. And so it is for our beautiful smiling Amy, who this Sunday will reach her 1st birthday. She has grown up in a family that seems so incomplete to everyone else but her - she knows no different than who and what she has seen in her short life. The time for her to learn all about her big sister Aoife still lies ahead. Amy’s 1st birthday has arrived almost from nowhere. That may seem a strange thing to say, but that is how time treats us now, days and dates just creep up. The day of Aoife’s 1st birthday is still clear in my mind. I can remember so many little things that happened throughout the day. There are pictures of her in the video here from the morning outfit with her pink balloon, through to the afternoon getting all her presents. Aoife being our first child made everything so new and different and we will always remember how she made us feel throughout that first year of her life. Aoife was born at a time when our family needed her most. Aine and I, along with our families, had experienced previous events of great sadness and tragedy. Some years ago Aine lost her beloved Dad Eamon at such a young age and my own older brother Damian was gone, after being gripped by the suffering of depression for so many years. Damian had been buried in Fingal Cemetery, a place Aoife used visit with me and at times would say ‘Hi Damian in Heaven’ as we drove past in the car. The image and sound of Aoife saying those words will haunt me now forever, I’m sure of that. Now I drive past the same cemetery with Roisin and Eoin in the back shouting out ‘Hi Aoife….and…..Bye Aoife’. Too much to take in, too heartbreaking to believe. Back then in the immediate years before Aoife was born, as a family, we had also seen happier times. Time had brought two new brilliant people into our family in Aine and Brian and the weddings were such wonderful occasions bringing a sense of hope and healing. Aoife was the first grandchild on the Hendrick side and when she was born, her arrival and presence brought so much more joy and light into all of our lives. Just the simple joy of having a beautiful healthy child to love and to hold. To believe once more that life could be wonderful. That day of Aoife’s 1st Birthday, I remember a moment as we sat around her here at the house. The music playing was one of our favourite songs, Mary Black’s ‘Wonder Child’. We looked and smiled and cried all at once, realising just what an amazing year it had been with Aoife, and how much she had brought to us all by being here with us. This week belongs to Amy and to Aoife too. Our Amy is another Wonder Child, one who has come along at a time when we are even more in need of some light and hope. She has brought us that in a different way these past 12 months. Every time we look at her beautiful smiling little face, we kiss her and hug her tight, just as we do with Roisin and Eoin. Aoife used love to call for ‘Group Hugs’ in the house and would call for it every day at the top of her voice. We are still in that hug, holding on, clinging to what keeps us going, to each other and to Aoife too, who is forever in all of our hearts. So this weekend for Amy’s birthday, we are away to Wexford, to do things in a different way, to be somewhere else, to make new memories and to try to learn how we can live again. Happy 1st Birthday little Amy and to you with Roisin and Eoin, we love you all so much and we are doing our best to make for you a life as normal and as full as we possibly can. Love to all, Adrian, Aine, Roisin, Eoin, Amy and Aoife Always https://vimeo/107890920
Posted on: Fri, 03 Oct 2014 08:32:16 +0000
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