Came across these the other day—the “scary” and “not scary” rides that Owen dictated to me over breakfast the day we returned from Disney World in 2014. 

I’ll carry this memory with me this week.

This shirt. I love this shirt. My wife bought it for me at least five years ago. Well, I know it was more than three years ago. That’s for certain.

Blue and grey. Pockets. Contemporary, but not flashy. 

It sits in my closet now. I do not wear it often anymore. I worry about it. It’s collar is fraying. Some shirts do that. Others don’t.  

This shirt makes me feel good. It’s got a weird kinda stretchy fabric that goes with my movement. In its heyday, it provided me with comfort and a subtle confidence.

I wore this shirt three years ago today. I think I wore it for the next three days. 

It’s a reminder–like an old uniform.
The 30th. 

I said these words once yesterday:

Tomorrow would have been my son’s twelfth birthday.

I sit here reading that sentence. Again. Again. Again. Again.

Happy Birthday, Owen Thomas. I miss you more than anything–every single moment of every single day. 

Always,

Dad

Books have always been important in the Galluzzo house. We’ve tried to read books to our children almost every night during our bedtime routine & over the years we’ve amassed a collection of children’s fiction that would likely rival the local Barnes & Noble. Suess, Hurvitz, Willems, that awesome Dan Zanes book, Hello, Hello, Hello, Margaret Wise, Sean Bryan & Tom Murphy, and soooo many others occupy space both on our shelves and in our hearts–for their inspiring tales and the memories they reinforce. 

No book takes me to Owen’s early childhood more than Little Pea. Owen was Little Pea. We read that book–a lot. He memorized it as he was learning to talk. Later, we added Little Hoot and Little Oink to the mix, making it our nightly trilogy.  

Thank you Amy Krouse Rosenthal for your contributions to the world–and for the whimsical joy your work brought to our family. 

Today was a a sad day. 

“Again, Again.”

Any of it.

We gathered together last Saturday–the 28 month anniversary– to decorate Owen’s Tree with an incredible number of ornaments hand-painted by friends and family. Hot cocoa, smores, and amazing friends in the shivering cold. 

I cannot believe that we’re approaching the third Christmas with this void. Glad to be surrounded by such love.