I have been loved...

I have been loved…

If there is anything I have realized this year… that is it. I have been loved… by so many. I can’t even begin to thank everyone who has showed their love for me and my family. So many people have helped to make this life after Steve’s death so bearable.

I know Steve would have been very surprised to know (and also very proud and happy) that over 400 people attended the service last year to honor his memory. But even more than that, the love and caring that we have experienced over the past year has been amazing.

Our family, our friends have been awesome. I have been humbled by the attention.

A lot of things have happened in the year since Steve passed away. Nick graduated from college. Tony and Joe both coached winning football teams, Steph helped me move to England… I live in England… Kelly got her AS degree, Adriana is potty-trained, Dakota and Sadie both sleep more than ever!! So… yes, life goes on.

The kids gave me the best gift for Christmas. My niece-in-law, Sara Noce, took a fabulous picture of the family. Whenever I look at it, I see Steve. His persona is so visible in all of them. Even Adriana, whose outward appearance is so much her mother. Her expressions, her personality, reveal the Noce side of her. She has the charism that Steve had, the sense of humor, the compassion and the desire to learn. She is all that her grandfather was, inquisitive, happy, determined, stubborn, funny, and compassionate. She is the gift that has helped all of us get through this sad time.

I thought I would share this letter that Steve wrote to me the Christmas just before Joe was born.

Kathi,

I was thinking of our relationship together the other day and for me to just say, “I Love you” is insufficient. Our life together encompasses so much more. When thinking of all the different factions of our life, a picture of a strong, sound, tall ship came to mind.

The hull of the ship is the love we have for each other. It is the base of the ship, and our life together. The sails are the children we have borne. Even will all the trouble, work and problems, the sails are to maintain and keep strong, they still help the ship move in the right direction.

The wheel and the rudder are you and me. These two parts of the ship must work together to guide the tall ship throughout the waters of life. The ocean currents and winds are the trials and tribulations of life which we have not control over. But with the hull being sound, the sails being strong, and the wheel and the rudder working together, our tall ship can withstand any storm life has in store for us.

Merry Christmas ’79… Love Steve.

…As Steve said then, with all of us working together, “our tall ship can withstand any storm life has in store for us…”

… I have been loved