Asking Tom To Be Jack's Godfather

I remember so very well the day I called Tom to be Jack's godfather. He and Krista were in Target shopping. I explained why we chose him and how we wanted our son Jack to grow up to have many of his wonderful qualities... his gentleness; his sensitivity and compassion for others, and his ability to think critically with both heart and head. He listened to me go on and on and on about all that we wanted for Jack and he was very quiet. When I finally finished he so humbly responded in his "Tom way"... " well, thank you Aunt Joanie I would love to be Jack's godfather." We did not have an expectation for him to actually be present at the Baptism. Afterall, he was in New York and we were in Rochester. Tom never even thought for a moment about NOT coming.
Tom and Krista arrived at our house very late the Saturday evening before the Baptism. This was before Tom and Krista were married. Tom had not been feeling well and in fact had spent the night before hanging out in the emergency department in NYC (with Krista by his side of course). They never really got to the bottm of what was going on. You would have never known it however... Tom and Krista were so gracious and so happy to be with us!
I remember speaking to Maureen (Tom's mom) when they arrived and assured her that we had a delicious dinner all ready for our guests and my partner (Michele) is a nurse and she would take good care of our Tom. It was a GREAT day.
So today on the anniversary of Tom's death my whole family is gathering at our house to plant a Butterfly Bush and have dinner and a toast in Tom's honor. Jack (who is now 4) painted a rock for Tom to place nearby. Jack LOVES numbers and I think will have Tom's love for math.
I am confident that Jack will continue to know Tom well as he grows up. He and Krista are often a part of the stories and books and songs we share with Jack at bedtime!