Sad Times In Hillsboro, Illinois

I have been very sad since Thursday, March 26 when I heard the news that two young Hillsboro men Adam Matthews and Kyle Meyer both 21 years old were killed in a car accident. Matthew my son is 21 and went to school with these boys and the thought of them dying just brings me to tears. I have cried on and off for the past 5 days. I did not know the boys personally I only know them because they were customers at the bank I work at and had short conversations when they came in.
I wanted to ask their parents if I could take pictures of them at the visitation before people arrived and then at the gravesite but I was too scared to ask. This may seem creepy or strange to some but I have to say that in a previous post I mentioned my father died when I was 9 months old and I never knew him but someone took pictures of my mother at his casket and it somehow brings me comfort. I see the love she had for him in those pictures, I see her pain and her loss. We also have pictures of my father in law at his funeral and those pictures are very hard to look at sometimes but I also find comfort in them also. I like having pictures of the last time we saw him. It is a very emotional time(funeral) and you forget so many things during those days, it all seems like a blur and having pictures helps you remember all these years later. Not to mention, my father in law was cremated and we have his ashes in our house and Jessie and Rainey always ask about him. We show them pictures we have when he was alive but we have also shown them the funeral pictures. I dont have pictures of my grandparents funerals but thats because there was no way I could hold my camera still. I was devastated. I wish someone would have taken pictures.
I cried today when I read the article about the 23 year old boy who killed his two sisters ages 17 and 5. What kind of world do we live in? I hate death but I hate it even more when it happens to kids and young people who die like this. I cant imagine nor do I want to experience the pain their families are feeling. I have this HUGE place in my heart for them and will think of them and hope they will be ok. I hope the memories they have of their loved ones help them live on.
These horrible incidents make me realize how lucky I am right now, today to have my kids healthy and alive. It can all be taken away in just one day, in just one moment. I love you all!!!

This Is The Look I Get......

when Jessie boy has had enough of me and my camera. He was trying to play and I kept asking him to stop for a minute and smile for me. Well he finally had enough and said "put your camera away!" When I saw this picture on my computer I immediately asked Paul "who does this remind you of?" PATRICK FOR SURE!!!! He always has this look on his face!!!! Anyone Agree??? Sissy, Matt, Alesha, Dora what do you think? Huh? Huh? Comments Please!!!

Sissy and Rainey in the Hot Tub

<

Sissy was home this weekend and her and Rainey love to do things together. They got in the hot tub on Sunday and had some fun. Here is one of the pictures I took.

March 27, 1969 (Chapter 1 of My Life)

Is the day I was born to Elvia and Ramon Alfaro, two migrant workers living in Homestead, Florida. My Father was born in Texas (I think) and my mother was born in Mexico (for real). My parents already had 3 other children - Diana 4, Isabel 3, and Antonio 2. On Thanksgiving Day 1969 my father died in a car accident and my mother (19 years old) was left alone with 4 children. Since my father was from Texas and his family lived in Texas, my mother took him to Texas to bury him. My mother stayed in Texas to go to school and we (Diana, Isabel, Antonio and I) stayed with our maternal grandparents in Florida. I don't remember too much of those early years but somehow we ended up in Texas just in time for me to start Kindergarten. By this time my mother had received some education and had even purchased a 4 bedroom 2 bath home with a carport and nice yard in a very nice neighborhood. I attended Kindergarten through 4th grade in Edinburg, Texas. Then we moved back to Florida with our Grandparents and my mother stayed in Texas. Everytime we moved our Grandmother was with us but sometimes my grandfather was already in Florida. My grandparents had 9 children 4 (Alicia, Bert, Leo and Henry) were still at home when they started raising us in 1969. We all grew up like brothers and sisters. There was such a difference in how we lived in Florida and in Texas. In Texas my mother had a nice house in a nice neighborhood and we went to a nice public school. In Florida we lived in a Migrant Labor Camp for Farm Workers and went to an overcrowded, crappy public school. I don't remember many details but I do know we were always taken care of and loved and I was a happy kid.

This is a picture of my father. This is the only picture I have so I thought I would share it.