Have you ever heard your Dad yell from the living room that it scared you so much, you knew the belt or the broom was immediately going to follow? lol That was a familiar sound my Husband knew, and when his Dad yelled for him that one particular morning, Paane immediately jolted from the room and went to sit in the living room. ‘Ofa had heard about a quarrel between Paane and Stan a few days ago, and wasn’t very pleased about how it all went down. I don’t necessarily remember what those two fought about, but if you know my husband you’ll know his mouth often gets him his way or gets him in trouble… and this was because of the latter.

Stan sat on his big chair, quiet not even saying a word while Paane sat on the ground, with a face so down it literally could’ve dragged him down too. lol It didn’t matter to ‘Ofa what either of those two fought about, but because Paane was younger, he basically was given a stern reminder from his Dad that no matter what happens in this lifetime, he was to respect Stan as his older brother.

I remember sitting in the living room, annoyed at Stan that he didn’t have the audacity to speak and apologize because if I had daggers flying from my eyes, it would’ve done some serious damage to Stan. lol That was the only time I ever felt any animosity towards him, and would have been the last time too.

A few weeks ago, I had reminded Paane about this particular experience and how annoyed I was at Stan, but to my surprise, Paane had no recollection of it – and that speaks volume about the type of person he is. He doesn’t like to linger on things and oftentimes chooses to overlook everyones flaws. I, on the other hand, always had that mentality of “before you do me wrong, make sure you don’t need me again!” type of grudge lol But when it came to Stan, no one could even hold that against him.

Stan made a life of his own here in Utah that lasted several years, and in those years he always made fun of my cooking. “Wow Tita, chicken everyday?” lol It’s probably why, I especially don’t care to cook for his family, because he always had some critique to it. “Oh man, that’s hecka good, it just needs a little bit of salt!” or “I wish this had more black pepper or cheese …” And for a guy that loves to critique food so much, not once have I ever seen Stan cook in the kitchen! lol He had a way of getting things without lifting a finger to do much. lol Thats a skill I hope Baby Stan inherits.

In the last few weeks of my pregnancy, Paane and I decided that since this was going to be our last baby, I was going to give him his name. I tossed between a couple of names, and eventually settled on a particular name I loved. He was going to carry a name that belonged to my family for generations, and was of someone I loved so dearly! But in that moment when the nurse handed me my baby, I wept in silence because I knew in that instant that he was going to be named after his late Uncle Stan. He has showed me nothing but love since being married to Paane, and it only seemed fitting that 2months later on the same exact day we laid Uncle Stan to rest, I gave birth to a scrumptious beautiful baby boy who now not only carries his name but his legacy as well.

Whether Baby Stan grows up to be a Barber, or a GreenBay Packers fan, I want him to know that his Uncle Stan touched a lot of lives and was evident on this day a year ago. Friends and family travelled from afar to bid him farewell, and spoke of how much influence he had in their lives. I want him to grow up and know that his Uncle Stan lived life to the fullest, and that he can too!

Thank you Sitani, for allowing me the privilege of naming Baby Stan after you. Until that glorious morning, when we see you smile – watch over us.