The cycle of life - Supreme Joy and Woeful Anguish

The last week of March 2005 was one of Supreme Joy and Woeful Anguish. In fact, the total amplitude of my emotional range pushed the envelope on March 28, 2005.

On Monday the 27th, our daughter Kristen, full term in her pregnancy went to her Ob/Gyn for a weekly checkup. The doctor told her to pack her bag and check in the hospital that night. The plan was to induce her pregnancy on March 28. They began the procedure that morning, and by 5:57pm eastern time, our third grandchild, Adam Robert Colvin was born. A joyous occasion! 7lbs 9oz, and healthy, with Kristen happy and excited about her new bundle of Joy!

She called me when he was only 40 minutes old to tell me, “Dad! He’s so-o-o cute.”

“Is he really cute or are you just saying that because you’re his mom?” I teased. “I mean most newborn baby’s heads are flat, their eyes are puffed up, and they are all red.”

“No Dad!” she stated emphatically. “He’s really cute. His head and eyes are just fine.” She was a little indignant, but recognized that I was just having fun with her.

A trip is planned to South Carolina at the end of April to see for myself just how cute my third grandson is, and to hug Kristen’s neck. A new grandson - Supreme Joy.

In the evening of the same day, my brother-in-law, Tim Conroy passed away in his apartment in NYC, unexpectedly at the age of 46, leaving a wife, Cindy (my wife Becky’s sister), two high school aged daughters, and a step daughter. He was thin, fit, and apparently hale and hearty. At this writing, the cause of his untimely end is entirely unknown despite an autopsy being completed yesterday. Nothing obvious. We all must wait 6-8 weeks for the lab report.

As I pen these words, I am sitting in San Diego with the family. The hole he left in all of our lives is enormous. The grief being experienced by those that I love is almost unbearable. The uncertainty of how life will go on for those who depended on him has caused much angst. The family is here to support Cindy.

A previous blog here about NYC was a trip up to see him. He was a good friend. We all loved his vitality, his wit, and his bizarre sense of humor. Tim will be sorely missed by everyone who knows him. His passing reminds us all of our own mortality - our tenuous cling to this earthly life.

Woeful anguish-

All on March 28, 2005