| Joann Mary Ives June 8, 1955 - December 21, 1999 
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Today is Larissa's 10th birthday !!! Happy Birthday, Larissa !!! I think back to 1998 and 1999, and thank Joann for her courage and selflessness in giving birth to Larissa and nurturing her in such a wonderful way. I thank everyone who has contributed to Larissa's upbringing during her first decade.
Today is Joann's birthday. Happy Birthday, Joann. Larissa will be 10 in July, so we have reached the 10th anniversary of the summer of 1998. That is a summer not forgotten by the Ives and Shaughnessy families and friends.
Yesterday we went to the Zena Fire Department Carnival. An artist did a pencil sketch of Larissa.
Today is the 8th anniversary of Joann's passing. As we prepare for Christmas, we remember and miss her - mom, wife, sister, aunt, and friend. This Christmas we will miss Grandma, who died in January, and Giulia, Maria, Ed, and Elena, who are living in Italy this year.
Larissa is in fourth grade at George Washington school, and continues to do well. We did a lot of things in 2007.
Happy Birthday, Joann! Larissa had a 60th birthday party for Jim on May 19 at the farm (Mary Frances and Ron helped of course, and Judy made the cake). We shared it with Ginny. We missed you, and some remembered the surprise 50th you had for Jim. Larissa performed her first karaoke, Yesterday by Hilary Duff. Ron's garden was magnificent.
We went to Washington, DC in April for several days. We visited Mt. Vernon, an appropriate stop for a third-grade student at George Washington School!
Today is the 7th anniversary of Joann's passing. Larissa and Jim will observe it at home preparing for the Christmas activities planned with Giulia and Maria, who arrive from Chicago tomorrow. We will have some luminaria candles on the front walk.
Larissa is in third grade at George Washington Elementary School and is doing very well. She wants to be a veterinarian and is concentrating on good grades in science and math, her favorite subject. We had a busy year, as you can see from some of the highlights in the photo below.
Today, Joann would be 51 years old. Happy Birthday, Joann.
Two of Larissa's poems to share with you, Aroma of Roses, and The Old Oak Tree.
We visited Jim and Linda Cravens and Bob and Susan Starbuck on Nantucket during the Memorial Day break. Bob shared his thoughts in an email, after reading an article in the New York Times about Opus 40. I read this article on Friday with very mixed emotions. I was glad to see a write-up about such a special place, but it made me miss Joann so much. She was such a bright light and so freely gave of herself. Her spirit will never die, because we will always remember all the life and love that she that she gave so freely, but I still can't believe that she is not with us in the flesh.
Jim, It was great to see you and Larissa for Memorial Day. Hopefully, we can get together more frequently in the future. Larissa is and will be a very special person, just as her mother was (hard to write that last word). I am so sorry that Joann will not be with us for her 51st birthday later this week. We all miss her and are here to support you as you raise her progeny.
Wishing you all the best, Bob
Today is the 6th anniversary of Joann's passing. We will mark it with a small family gathering to string popcorn for the Christmas tree. Larissa wanted more festive outdoor decorations this year, so the luminaria candles we light this evening will join an abundance of lights on our porch and front yard.
Today is the 50th anniversary of Joann's birth. Happy Birthday, Joann.
Larissa planned a surprise party for my birthday on May 15. The code for it was SPFD. We all wish we would having a big SPFM. We will think of you especially much today.
Today is the fifth anniversary of Joann's death.
Jim & Larissa will light five luminaria this afternoon to honor her memory.
Happy Birthday, Joann. During her bath last night, Larissa explained to Froggy about breathing. "You
breathe air into your chest, but it's just for a short visit, because you can't hold it for very long. You breath in, you breath out. If you can't breathe, then you die. Mommy had something blocking her lungs and couldn't breathe anymore, so she died.
She's up above us now, in Heaven. She watches over us."
I gave her your carousel of Berol Prismacolor markers last week. She is very pleased with them, and has drawn some beautiful flowers with them.
I'll tell her later today that this is your birthday.
Today is the fourth anniversary of Joann's death. Many of us remember her every day. We will linger with those thoughts longer today.
Jim will light four luminaria this afternoon.
When you see them, know that we love you and miss you, Joann.
Larissa is 5-1/2, a kindergartner. She is strong, determined, creative, and beautiful -- definitely her mother's daughter.
Happy Birthday, Joann. We miss you and think of you often.
Saturday, December 21, was the third anniversary of Joann's death. We had a very small gathering and lit six luminaria that burned throughout the night. Christmas is almost here -- it will be our fourth without Joann. Larissa is 4-1/2, very precosious, often a challenge, most often a delight, and always a blessing. I am sure Joann is proud of her.
Friday, December 21, was the second anniversary of Joann's death, and tomorrow will be our third Christmas without her. As I decorated our Christmas tree, I missed her companionship and criticisms <s>. The winter solstice will always be a day to remember Joann. The days are getting longer again, life goes on with daily routine. Larissa is growing up and brings great joy to our lives. It reminds us to be thankful for Joann's life.
Today is Larissa's 3rd birthday. She is a a wonderful little girl and continues to bring us great joy, Joann. It is impossible to celebrate her birthday without remembering the courage you had in bringing her into the world, and the grace and dignity with which you danced with life and death. That remains an inspiration and example to many of us. Thank you.
Joann would have celebrated her 46th birthday today. I had the following conversation with Larissa at 5:30 this morning. It is too beautiful and poignant not to share it with you, and prompts me to acknowledge Joann's birthday today.
Today is Larissa's 2nd birthday. Thank you, Joann, for leaving her with us. She is a wonderful little girl. We had a party at the farm, yesterday, for family and caregivers. It was a beautiful day, much like our wedding day. It would have been more perfect only if you had been there with us. Ron reminds me that you are in the next room. At the end of the day, Rosmarie helped Larissa release the 44 balloons that lined the wall. They floated off in a line to the west, high over the Ashoken reservoir. Ron told Larissa that she was sending them to Mommy. It was a very beautiful sight.
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July 24, 2008
Joann would have celebrated her 45th birthday today. It is a melancholy day for family and friends. We miss her. We recognize what a vibrant and wonderful friend, sister, and partner we lost. (Photograph by Gabriel Apfel on Nov 26, 1999)
We have no doubts about what tree Larissa fell from. Thank you, Joann, for the start you gave your daughter. She adds much joy to our lives. (Photograph by Susan Starbuck on Apr 29, 2000)
