Elburn woman offers heartfelt thank you to the community
The details of death are grinding, sometimes unbearable, and so very sad. Oct. 23, 2015, started as most days did for my family.
Joe went to work. I got the boys ready for school, went to the gym and then helped at Blackberry Creek Elementary School in Elburn.
Something larger than I happened that morning and my heart will never be the same.
There was a terrible accident and my favorite plumber went to Heaven. There was a one was dialogue that I had no control over. In the middle of my life, everything changed and the father of our three young boys found his way to Heaven. I'm sadder than tears can ever tell, yet wiser than I ever wanted to be.
My boys and I stand together, present and connected, resilient and brave, and attempt to remake our lives from the inside out. We are digging from the ground up and learning this new reality. Death does not end our story. It transforms our story.
That very transformation involves so many people who continue to show us unending love and support. With every breath I take, I'm thankful for each person who has managed to find their way into my heart.
With that said, there are so many people I would like to recognize though that would be impossible because there has been an overwhelming amount of support.
From the bottom of my broken heart, thank you to these people who I am so appreciative of - to my mother- and father-in-law (Linda and Len Middona) who raised an incredible son and taught him compassion, hard work and love. And without them, I would not have been married to the most amazing man a girl could ask for. To my parents (Roger and Donna Ronzheimer) whose silent love and support is more than I can see at times yet always there; to Brooks Ronzheimer who just gets it; to Lauren Czaja, Jessica Humay and Crystal Adams who lower my anxiety just by being in my presence; to Marla and Eric Olson who dive in and take control when I feel paralyzed, who make my laugh and who love my kids; to Fuse gym in Elburn and its members who allow me to to be me; to the community of Elburn who continues to show kindness to my family; to the staff at Blackberry Creek Elementary who has opened their hearts to myself and my boys and calmed many fears that I've had; to the Plumbers Local 130 U.A. who Joe loved working for and who have been a constant in my life; to the constant friends and family who text, call, and always remind me that they are here for me; to my boys - Gianni, Gabriele and Vincenzo who have loved me through all this, who give hugs and kisses, who love their daddy so much and who teach me more about life every day through their kind hearts, their resilience and their heroism. Mandi Brooks, for endless love, and Gary Ronzheimer, for his friendship.
And lastly, to my husband, Joe Middona … thank you for choosing me, for loving me through it all and for teaching me what this life is all about.
I suffer so much and the tears are never ending because I had the best of the best. For that, I am forever grateful.
Miranda Middona
Elburn