****
My wish is for everyone to be careful and stay safe through this Covid Pandemic.

*******

JULY 7TH, 2020
Today is my sweet Angels Birthday. Brett would have been 33 years old. Brett died in his sleep sometime during the night of June 4th/ early morning hours of 5th. When my husband woke up around 5:30 am, out of routine, he looked in on Brett. Something didnt seem right and then my husband checked closer. After, he woke me. Im not sure what happened for the next 18 months. I was in a fog. Brett had been sick that week and was on medication. Upper respiratory issues but he still wanted to go to " school". Brett was special needs and lived with us at home. Even though he was 27 he continued to attend a school which was administered by our local University. He looked forward to going every day! Brett was non verbal, had been born with several birth defects: cleft lip & palate which required several surgeries; heart defects that would have required surgery at some point in his life; hearing loss; and others all as a result of the Chromosome abnormality he was born with. While Brett was 27 years old, he was 5ft tall and about 100 pounds. Again, a product of the abnormality.

We love Brett so much. He was so funny! He has a twin brother Anthony. Brett was second born. And our youngest child. We have 4 boys so Brett did not receive special attention when it came to activities. We tried to teach him whatever we were teaching the other boys. Until Brett would show us he could or could not do a certain task/ activity, we went forward with the notion that he could. If we limited him so would the world! We had to stop at water skiing. That was a little much. However he liked boating on the lake...fast! And loved the Seadoo. Anything fast he loved.

People would stare at him. It would make me so mad. The surgeries from his cleft lip. The abnormalities he was born with as Brett grew older his facial features changed & his " look" was different than the norm so people have to be rude and stare. Its one thing to look and be on your way but to stop and stare! Some days I would lose my religion and say things I shouldnt. He was my son & I was going to protect him! Brett really didnt know what was going on until he was much older. Then all he knew was the other neighborhood kids never invited him to play. He would stand out on our yard and watch them. It broke my heart. I cannot begin to tell you how I felt when this happened. He LOVED McDonalds! So when times like this happened, we would load him up in the car and head for the Golden Arches. He would be so Happy! I havnt been in or at the drive through of a McDonald's since June 4th 2014. We went the evening before Brett died.
We miss Brett. So much. The other boys moved out got married and moved out of State. But we always had Brett. It was the 3 of us. And his dog Donald ( yep. Short for McDonald). And the cats. He did everything with his daddy. He didnt have friends that came over, he would never drive a car or vote or have a girlfriend. So, it was up to us to provide the social engagement, activities, anything to help keep him feeling involved and his brain challenged. If we didnt take him to church, to school, out to eat, shopping etc. He would never get to do any of those things. Theres no one else to do it for him. My heart would break for him that he couldn't go out and jump in the truck & go visit a girfriend.

A heart attack is what the doctor and death certificate said. We knew his heart had issues but his last cardio visit the Doctor said we were still ok and come back in 6 months. The combination of the respiratory issues and the pressures on the heart this time just didnt make it through the night. Brett had so many upper respiratory problems, bronchitis, pneumonia, ...this time didnt seem any different. But it was. It was very different.

So many people were so very kind to us when Brett died. They all loved him. The stories I heard from people about Brett were heartwarming. He touched so many people. Our little baby boy Brett. Who I worried so much about when he was first born. Here he was. Leaving his mark on so many people. How would I ever know 33 years ago that he would be teaching us instead of the other way around. A Gift from God. How fortunate we are and i dont think we realized the impact of our Gift until after Brett passed. That makes me so sad.

I love you baby. Happy Birthday!! You have your mommas heart forever. Kisses and hugs. Momma

**************************************

I'm not an expert by any means, but simply love researching our family on ancestry. The stories, legacies, history and surprises are way too many to count! Currently, I’m honored to have the care of my family Find A Grave Memorial pages. It’s one way we can show them we still care, will always remember and a way to look after our family on a very consistent basis.

One of the reasons I started working with Ancestry is after our son Brett Charles Workman (1987-2014) passed away I needed the comfort of family around me. And around him.
Stop by to see him if you have a minute. 130962932.

We now have a wealth of family history, paternal & maternal for both my side of the family and my husbands. We understand this journey is only at its beginning. What a legacy for our sons, their families and our precious grandchildren.

Have a wonderful day. ( that's Donald our Sheltie in the picture. He was Brett's dog. Sadly, we lost Donald June 15, 2018. But we know he and Brett are waiting at the Rainbow Bridge.)

We want our records to be as accurate as possible. I'm sure I've made mistakes along the way. I'll be more than happy to correct my errors as long as the research is behind it. My sister and I ( and many others on ancestry) have spent countless hours weeding through what's true and what " sounds like it's true". Nothing surprises me from what's around the next corner in our wonderful family line to what some folks will " spice up" to make the family history sound a little better. Don't do that. It causes so many problems. Our family is terrific the way it is! The legacy, the history and the stories do not need any ones pen adding to, taking out or other wise embellishing what actually happened.

"What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us. What we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal ". Albert Pine

Happy Hunting!
Mona

****
My wish is for everyone to be careful and stay safe through this Covid Pandemic.

*******

JULY 7TH, 2020
Today is my sweet Angels Birthday. Brett would have been 33 years old. Brett died in his sleep sometime during the night of June 4th/ early morning hours of 5th. When my husband woke up around 5:30 am, out of routine, he looked in on Brett. Something didnt seem right and then my husband checked closer. After, he woke me. Im not sure what happened for the next 18 months. I was in a fog. Brett had been sick that week and was on medication. Upper respiratory issues but he still wanted to go to " school". Brett was special needs and lived with us at home. Even though he was 27 he continued to attend a school which was administered by our local University. He looked forward to going every day! Brett was non verbal, had been born with several birth defects: cleft lip & palate which required several surgeries; heart defects that would have required surgery at some point in his life; hearing loss; and others all as a result of the Chromosome abnormality he was born with. While Brett was 27 years old, he was 5ft tall and about 100 pounds. Again, a product of the abnormality.

We love Brett so much. He was so funny! He has a twin brother Anthony. Brett was second born. And our youngest child. We have 4 boys so Brett did not receive special attention when it came to activities. We tried to teach him whatever we were teaching the other boys. Until Brett would show us he could or could not do a certain task/ activity, we went forward with the notion that he could. If we limited him so would the world! We had to stop at water skiing. That was a little much. However he liked boating on the lake...fast! And loved the Seadoo. Anything fast he loved.

People would stare at him. It would make me so mad. The surgeries from his cleft lip. The abnormalities he was born with as Brett grew older his facial features changed & his " look" was different than the norm so people have to be rude and stare. Its one thing to look and be on your way but to stop and stare! Some days I would lose my religion and say things I shouldnt. He was my son & I was going to protect him! Brett really didnt know what was going on until he was much older. Then all he knew was the other neighborhood kids never invited him to play. He would stand out on our yard and watch them. It broke my heart. I cannot begin to tell you how I felt when this happened. He LOVED McDonalds! So when times like this happened, we would load him up in the car and head for the Golden Arches. He would be so Happy! I havnt been in or at the drive through of a McDonald's since June 4th 2014. We went the evening before Brett died.
We miss Brett. So much. The other boys moved out got married and moved out of State. But we always had Brett. It was the 3 of us. And his dog Donald ( yep. Short for McDonald). And the cats. He did everything with his daddy. He didnt have friends that came over, he would never drive a car or vote or have a girlfriend. So, it was up to us to provide the social engagement, activities, anything to help keep him feeling involved and his brain challenged. If we didnt take him to church, to school, out to eat, shopping etc. He would never get to do any of those things. Theres no one else to do it for him. My heart would break for him that he couldn't go out and jump in the truck & go visit a girfriend.

A heart attack is what the doctor and death certificate said. We knew his heart had issues but his last cardio visit the Doctor said we were still ok and come back in 6 months. The combination of the respiratory issues and the pressures on the heart this time just didnt make it through the night. Brett had so many upper respiratory problems, bronchitis, pneumonia, ...this time didnt seem any different. But it was. It was very different.

So many people were so very kind to us when Brett died. They all loved him. The stories I heard from people about Brett were heartwarming. He touched so many people. Our little baby boy Brett. Who I worried so much about when he was first born. Here he was. Leaving his mark on so many people. How would I ever know 33 years ago that he would be teaching us instead of the other way around. A Gift from God. How fortunate we are and i dont think we realized the impact of our Gift until after Brett passed. That makes me so sad.

I love you baby. Happy Birthday!! You have your mommas heart forever. Kisses and hugs. Momma

**************************************

I'm not an expert by any means, but simply love researching our family on ancestry. The stories, legacies, history and surprises are way too many to count! Currently, I’m honored to have the care of my family Find A Grave Memorial pages. It’s one way we can show them we still care, will always remember and a way to look after our family on a very consistent basis.

One of the reasons I started working with Ancestry is after our son Brett Charles Workman (1987-2014) passed away I needed the comfort of family around me. And around him.
Stop by to see him if you have a minute. 130962932.

We now have a wealth of family history, paternal & maternal for both my side of the family and my husbands. We understand this journey is only at its beginning. What a legacy for our sons, their families and our precious grandchildren.

Have a wonderful day. ( that's Donald our Sheltie in the picture. He was Brett's dog. Sadly, we lost Donald June 15, 2018. But we know he and Brett are waiting at the Rainbow Bridge.)

We want our records to be as accurate as possible. I'm sure I've made mistakes along the way. I'll be more than happy to correct my errors as long as the research is behind it. My sister and I ( and many others on ancestry) have spent countless hours weeding through what's true and what " sounds like it's true". Nothing surprises me from what's around the next corner in our wonderful family line to what some folks will " spice up" to make the family history sound a little better. Don't do that. It causes so many problems. Our family is terrific the way it is! The legacy, the history and the stories do not need any ones pen adding to, taking out or other wise embellishing what actually happened.

"What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us. What we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal ". Albert Pine

Happy Hunting!
Mona