Fourteen years ago today the world lost an amazing man. Thomas Joseph Barba was quite the character.
Despite being only 8 years old when he passed, I still remember him a great deal and I remember clear as day when my nana woke me up in the early morning of December 5th, 1996 to tell me that he wouldn't be coming home from the hospital. I cried and cried. I was so upset. He loved me and I him. I was his little girl and he made sure I had everything I wanted and needed. I never went with out with him around.
Poppy was special. He couldn't walk, he had had both of his legs amputated. I to this day don't quite remember why. I remember being told gang green and just because of his diabetes, but I honestly don't know for sure. It didn't make me love him any less though.
I have many fond memories with him, including using all his pill bottles (he was on a ton of medications) as little "people" and pretending to play house with them, he would play right along with me. Pretending to be whomever I asked of him. Another time we used my nana's credit card to order glow in the dark blocks off the tv that I had to have, she didn't know till the UPS guy delivered them... I remember that day as well. Nana wasn't angry or upset though, she helped me open them up and get right to playing! Another thing I remember was playing store with poppy while nana was at work. We would put all of nana's groceries into the bags and pack them all up after we "rung them up" and then we'd stop... so when nana got home she would have to unpack all of the groceries, again. She never complained though, ever. She loved (still does) us both and loved seeing us happy.
I hate that poppy wasn't able to see me grow into the woman I have become today. I wish he would have been able to be there for me during the years, because I knew he was someone I could always count on. I wish he was able to meet my husband, I know they would have gotten along well, after all... they both hate my mother. & I truly wish he was able to meet Dominik. I could imagine Dominik telling me "Mommy, it's like Joe from Family Guy!" & Poppy would have laughed about it and told Dominik why he was in the wheelchair. I'm sad that these things never happened. But I do know that poppy was in a great deal of pain.
I'll always love him, and miss him.
Despite being only 8 years old when he passed, I still remember him a great deal and I remember clear as day when my nana woke me up in the early morning of December 5th, 1996 to tell me that he wouldn't be coming home from the hospital. I cried and cried. I was so upset. He loved me and I him. I was his little girl and he made sure I had everything I wanted and needed. I never went with out with him around.
Poppy was special. He couldn't walk, he had had both of his legs amputated. I to this day don't quite remember why. I remember being told gang green and just because of his diabetes, but I honestly don't know for sure. It didn't make me love him any less though.
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| The only photo I have of us; Easter '94. |
I hate that poppy wasn't able to see me grow into the woman I have become today. I wish he would have been able to be there for me during the years, because I knew he was someone I could always count on. I wish he was able to meet my husband, I know they would have gotten along well, after all... they both hate my mother. & I truly wish he was able to meet Dominik. I could imagine Dominik telling me "Mommy, it's like Joe from Family Guy!" & Poppy would have laughed about it and told Dominik why he was in the wheelchair. I'm sad that these things never happened. But I do know that poppy was in a great deal of pain.
I'll always love him, and miss him.
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