Month: August 2026

It is that day again, when August becomes joyful! On a beautiful sunny day on the 29th of August, 1985, a beautiful baby boy was born. 

In a pink hospital named St. Francis in the great state of Oklahoma Jeffrey Andrew made his appearance. 

He was a week early due to the fact that way back then scheduled C-sections were done a week before the actual due date.

I know I talk about the same thing every year, but I feel it needs to be documented.

You were born with water on your lungs and were whisked off to the NICU almost immediately. You were there a long 6 days, I had to go home without you, which was one of the hardest things I had to do.

They had to shave your head to put the IV in, but they shaved it to look like a mohawk. It was adorable and funny at the same time. Also jarring to see the IV in your head, every parent that has to go through that has my sympathy. 

One of the doctors, a very heavy set man, came to my room to talk to me about your lungs. He said you would never be normal and never play sports. When you played baseball for all of those years the urge to hunt that man down and invite him to a game was strong. Lucky for him I didn’t remember his name. I was too enraged at the time to remember it.

You did play sports, you did not have lung issues as you grew, except for the time you had pneumonia twice in one year, but you were 4 at the time. After that it was smooth sailing, lung wise, allergy wise was a different story.

You grew into such an incredible man, one that loves his family and is an amazing father. I love you so much son, I hope you know that and never doubt it. 

I hope you have had the best day on the water!

Love, Mom

August 9th, 1984, one of the happiest days of my life, a baby boy arrived. Michael Marino Barsi, my little M&M, he was perfect.

Who knew we would only get 12 weeks with him. If I had known would I have done things differently? Yes, I would not have gone back to work, I would have spent every moment I had with him. I would never have allowed him out of my sight for a second.

I still remember the day he was born, I was in labor for hours before his heart rate dropped exponentially. The doctor said we have to get him out now, and I was rushed to an operating room. The umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck twice, he would have died in the birth canal. But he was there, 8 pounds and 10 and a half ounces. A beautiful baby boy, that was loved beyond measure.

It’s been 46 years and sometimes my arms still ache to hold him. I often wonder what he would be like as an adult, what the other children would be like if they had their oldest brother with them. 

Of course it is an answer I will never have, I have to take comfort in the fact that he is in heaven. I believe that with my whole heart. I will see him again, will he be a baby or an adult, I don’t know. I just know I will recognize him when I see him.

I have reminders of him in my every day life, I actually have a plant that someone gave us for his funeral. This plant is 42 years old, it is still thriving, in fact I do cuttings from it and make new plants and give them to family members. So they have part of Michael with them as well.

That is the plant, it is still healthy and living, somehow it gives me comfort. 

I am also comforted by the fact that he has family members with him. His grandparents on my side and his grandpa Reno and granny Dee on his dad’s side of the family. My brothers are up there as well, along with my favorite cousin Cindy. 

I’ll love you forever Michael, I don’t know why you had to go, and I’ll never know until I am with you again. Just know that you were loved while you were here and loved for an eternity after you left.