It is a sad fact

That our youngest has been on the receiving end of some pretty ill timed events in our lives.  He was born of our entrance into the Catholic Church and the change in lifestyle approaches that such a commitment brings.  If you get my drift. 

Of course that was the beginning of the rough years, until things stabilized for us, only to be plunged into crazy and chaos again.  Then, after several years of some more hard knocks, we entered 2020 looking pretty darn good.  Then, well, you know. 

This year was his big sixteenth birthday.  A somewhat solitary young fellow, we pulled out all the stops and got him the materials needed for him to build his own computer.  He's seriously into tech, retro-tech, and of all things, sound and video mixing.  He has taken to getting old VCR compilations that are no longer available, or practical because of companies' refusal to make new VCRs, and is transferring them onto digital formats - no easy thing since many had measures to prevent easy copying.  But he's done quite well.  We saved money when he build a PC for my wife's work when she was at home rather than having to buy a new one outright. 

Nonetheless, no sooner were we getting ready for his sweet sixteenth than my mom had her latest stroke the day before.  Then shortly after, my father-in-law's health took a sudden turn for the worse, leading to his unexpected passing.  That was his birthday.  His previous special birthdays often ending up in the same way.

Because of that, we try to balance it out by doing what we can.  Right now, we're having that 'talk' about my mom, if we can in any practical way continue to help her at home.  We are cognizant of the fact that nobody in any of our families has the relationship with her that he has.  My mom and dad were always there to help raise my nephew, and when we moved to Ohio they were often here with the boys to visit and help out.  

But our youngest was there when my mom moved in with us, and almost immediately he began to have to help take care of her.  And he has.  It was he who alerted us to her serious health crisis back in 2017 that  almost took her from us.  Had he not done that, we would have lost her then (his intervention along with fast thinking help from my other older sons at the time of course). And he has been every bit as good with medications, feeding and basic care as any of us.  So what this will do if she must go to the next stage in her life regarding care in a nursing home, we don't know.  

Nonetheless, for all of it, he's proven to be resilient.  I would never say he's the lowest key of the brothers and no doubt his life of ups and frequent downs gives him an edge and an almost obsessive determination when there is something he wants.  He thinks nothing of kicking in doors and putting his foot down until he at least gets something out of his goal.  Set him on a task that interests him and watch the rest of the world fade away as he throws himself into the job until it's done. A trait that can be both good or bad, depending on how it is cultivated.  Yet he has a big heart, and this is best seen when we watch him with our granddaughter or my mom.

Part of his nature and mature perspectives no doubt come from his relationship with his brothers.  Over the years I've seen more than one child born crazy late after a set of older siblings.  Often they are simply 'the young kid' with the older siblings going on with their lives, forever seeing the youngest as merely a distant youngest.  But our three older sons have done yeoman's work over the years making sure they weren't the party he missed.  They really have made him 25% of the Griffey boys.  And for that I am ever grateful.

So here's to a smoother year ahead for him.  I think after all the years before, he's earned it. 

The four boys with our daughter-in-law; not the three and daughter-in-law plus the kid. 
All is right with the world