"Der Dey go!"

So, every year on the anniversary of my Papa's passing (August 17th 2005) We release red balloons. There is a significance to these. My Papa ALWAYS wore red on Fridays. This is a recognized way to show support for the troops. If you went into his house on Friday he would ask you why you were not wearing red. It was his "thing" So, every year the entire family buys red balloons.. This year I purchased 2 for my parents and 2 for Shane and Lisa. My parents were traveling back from a trip and I wasn't sure if they would be back in time, but they made it to Meme's in time for the release.. So we had a few extras :) This was not a bad thing in the eyes of my 2 (almost 3) year old. He was SO excited when he saw them.. and he was amazingly ok with letting them go. It had been a trying day to say the least but this is always a happy (but bittersweet) time.. We called the fam in Bentonville who were all gathered around the speakerphone in order to have a proper countdown --Meme is always in charge of the countdown.. 5-4-3-2-1..

and up they went.. such a beautiful site on a beautiful clear day..Chaz was so happy just watching the balloons. I hope one day he understands what and who these symbolize. Papa was a wonderful man. I just wish he could have met Chaz. Although, I still say he "sent" him to me so he actually met him first :) I love the shear joy on this face.. I feel like Papa is smiling down on him. What an absolutely peaceful feeling. "der dey go!" he kept telling his papa (on speaker phone) that he could see them and they were going higher and higher.. We literally just sat in the grass and watched them until we couldn't see them anymore.. This was such a good ending to a very hard day. I honestly look forward to this moment every year because it makes me grin. I know that Papa is looking down and loves to see all the red balloons.