Giovanni Angelo Ramos

Monique R 1w

# Be grateful

Giovanni Ramos Ms Debernardi and Ms. Sayre English 2 Honors December 4, 2024 Be Grateful I always imagined having a little brother. A built-in best friend to do fun stuff with and hang out with, all day every day. Watching Cars together and playing with my action figures together. Go to the park with them to play catch or run around. I felt like I could be the best big brother out there and help my mom with my new sibling. In 2017, my mom threw a big gender reveal and found out she would be having a boy due in july. Before we knew it she went into labor; at first he was breathing perfectly fine. But then his breathing became raspy and his heart started to skip a beat. Then his breath finally came to a stop. Everyone in the room started hanging face, me included. Ever since he passed I was broken; the brother I planned for and wanted so much never made it home. 3 years later my mom and dad broke the news that she was pregnant again. My mom didn’t want to have a gender reveal because she didn't want to get everyone excited to be able to have a new niece or new cousin. My mom did not want everyone to be hanging face another time. So she kept Gracie kind of hidden so everyone wouldn't want to go through that again. Also my mom was not supposed to have kids after having the baby boy. On a normal day in February, I was playing in my grandma's driveway with my toy cars and other toys I had, watching the same cars go by. There was a red car then a tan car that drove by shortly after. When the sun hits your face it would heat your skin. With time passing minute by minute, I was waiting for my mom to return with the news of my new baby sibling. I was so excited, burning inside to know if I will have a baby brother. I was hoping, crossing my fingers, it would be the baby brother I always wanted. I was thinking, I will finally get a baby brother. I was ready to start jumping around to hear my mom say “It's a boy!” I was going to get all the baby boy toys I could find, making sure they were ones he would actually play with and not chew. I was going to make them spotless and free of dirt on them like we just got them new so they would not be bad when he would want to play with them. I was ready to show him all my favorite movies and TV shows. I liked the Wild Krats and I was excited to show him if my mom came back and said “It’s a boy,” I was going to show him everything I had. I just knew I was going to be the best big brother ever. I continued playing with my toys waiting and waiting so excited, I was very sweaty and breathing heavily. My mother came back from a doctor's appointment which was an ultrasound appointment. I found out I'm getting a sibling hoping it would be a baby boy. We all went inside and my mom showed me the ultrasound pictures and said “It's a girl!.”I grew angry because I was expecting a little brother like we can just choose what you get. I hid behind the pillows of my grandma's couch angry. After I hid, I told my parents “We should send her back in a basket down a river when she's born.” I didn't want to accept having a baby sister because I wanted a little brother to play cars with and do brother stuff. I wanted someone to watch cars with and watch Dragon Ball Z with. I had so many things planned, and then it all went out the door because usually, sisters like to play with Barbies and have a doll house. They don't watch cars they probably would want to watch princesses instead and be and act like a princess. Such as looking pretty and putting glitter everywhere wearing makeup. They don't want to have mom yell at them and say to go and get in the shower right this minute. I wanted to go run around or play catch with a football. I did not want to accept that I was going to have a sister. I only wanted to have a brother and I stuck with that. I wanted a little brother so I could teach him everything I knew and show him respect and manners. I would have loved to teach him about space. Space was my favorite thing to learn about and I would teach him everything I knew about it and then we could learn more together. My mom and dad told me in February then shortly in April she was born. I grew to learn that we did not have a choice to pick if we could get a boy or a girl. She was 3 months premature. I did not know what that meant at the time but she had to be in a room in the NICU for about 3 months. With all the machines being hooked up to her and her being in a little “jail” to help with the temperature of her body. Once I saw her my heart lit up and my eyes got big as if she brought the most positivity into the room and brightened everyone's day. She had the brightest light I ever saw in a person let alone a baby. My mom told me her name was Gracie, short for Graciella. When I saw her in the NICU the doctors would let you hold the baby for a little before putting her back in a little box that I called a “jail”. Although she still had to have a breathing machine hooked up while she was being held and everyone had to be very careful because she was vulnerable to many things so we had to take extra precaution. My mom asked if I could hold her and I said “yes” immediately because I wanted to feel that strength she has to keep pushing and to keep going even when something has gone wrong, such as her being born 3 months early. I looked at her and she was so tiny. I had never seen a baby that small but she put a huge smile on my face and made my day brighten up because I still was a little upset about not getting a baby brother. She was as big as my head and only weighed 2 and ½ pounds at the time but bursting with happiness and strength. I could just see she's going to be the best baby sister ever and I would be the best big brother for her. She became my light in my everyday life especially when I was having a bad day ever since I saw her first smile. The day we brought her home we had a party at my Nina’s house and everyone was there having a good time. Experiencing the same positivity I got and how much strength she has to push and be here with us. Gracie has brought us all to be better overall and be better role models for her as she grows up. She met my uncle Matthew and loved him and I knew she was my sister because Mattew was also my favorite uncle. Everyone was excited to see her after the stillborn my mom had. I was happy that we brought her home after she was locked up in a “Jail” for about 3 months at the hospital. We had to go back to the doctors regularly and she had to get her eyes checked all the time. We soon found out she needed glasses. She may also need eye surgery because her eyes are so bad she couldn't see anything and would go cross sided when she would focus on an item. I realized if she can push through everything, so can I. Later on the fourth of July I was also so broken because I lost my uncle who I was very close with and he also felt that warmth and Gracies happiness before he was gone. Which pushed me to keep going even though I lost him. She made me forget all about it and so we as a family can keep thriving even after losing a very loved one who held the family together. My uncle Matthew was someone who brought us all together and I feel like my little sister does just that. I'm glad to have her and I want her to bring us closer together and not pull us apart. Our relationship was like the boy and girl from The Storks movie. The little boy also wished for a little brother but got a little sister at the end of the movie and he was yelling at the deliverer, the Stork. The little boy was furious then he grew to love her. Just like I did my sister, once he saw her his eyes got big it looked like his heart was beating faster, blood rushing because he realized it was going to be better than he expected and he was grateful afterward. I learned that I should be more grateful, though it was not what I originally wanted but it turned out better than expected. Gracie has always been tough and taught me I need to be a big brother and set a better example for her because she looks up to me. She made me become a better person and to keep going even when everything’s going wrong. Gracie makes sure I'm always on my toes watching for her and myself when we're together. I came to learn to be grateful for everything that comes my way. I also learned not to just look out for myself but for others too.

Monique R 1w

Matthew 5:16

When I think about Gio, I think about light. Not just the Christmas lights he loved so much, but the kind of light he brought with him wherever he went. Gio had a way of making people feel welcome. He made you feel like you mattered. He could walk into a room and somehow make it feel a little warmer. He never really met a stranger. He just met someone he hadn't become friends with yet. Gio loved having people together. Some of his happiest times were probably the simplest ones—being in the backyard, something on the grill, people talking and laughing, everybody just hanging out. He understood something that we sometimes forget. The best things in life aren't things at all. They're the people God puts in our lives. And if Gio loved you, he probably teased you. That was just Gio. He had that playful side to him. He loved to joke around, make people laugh, and give you a hard time. And somehow, even when he was teasing you, you knew it came from a place of love. He just had a way of making people smile. I think that's one of the things we're going to miss the most. Gio really loved the “ber” months. As soon as that time of year came around, you could feel his excitement. He loved putting up Christmas lights. He loved getting in the car and driving around looking at all the Christmas displays. And if he saw a nativity scene, he wanted to stop and look at it. He loved pumpkin patches. He loved being outside. He loved getting everyone together around a Monopoly board, even though those games seemed to go on forever. But looking back, I don't think it was really about any of those things. I think it was about getting us together. The Christmas lights were an excuse to get in the car together. The barbecue was an excuse to get everyone in the backyard. The pumpkin patch was an excuse to spend the day together. Monopoly was an excuse to sit around a table and laugh. That's what Gio was really about. Family. People. Being together. He knew that those ordinary moments were actually the important ones. James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above.” And Gio was one of those gifts. God gave us Gio's smile. His laugh. His big heart. His sense of humor. And his ability to bring people together. We were blessed to have him. And that's why this hurts so much. There's no easy way to say goodbye to someone you love this much. And honestly, I don't think there are words big enough for what we're feeling. No family should have to say goodbye this soon. But as hard as this is, we still have our faith. Jesus tells us in John 14, “In My Father's house are many rooms... I go to prepare a place for you... and I will come again and receive you unto Myself.” So we hold onto that. We believe this isn't the end. The “ber” months are never going to feel quite the same without Gio. But that's because he made them so special. When September comes and we start feeling that change in the air... When October comes and we're visiting pumpkin patches... When November comes and we're gathering with family and remembering what we're thankful for... And when December comes and the Christmas lights start going up... We're going to think of Gio. We're going to remember him when we drive around looking at Christmas lights. We're going to remember him when we see a nativity. We're going to remember him when we're standing around the grill. We're going to remember him when we're all together. And we'll probably hear his voice in our heads when somebody starts teasing somebody else. We'll remember his smile. We'll remember his laugh. We'll remember the way he could make an ordinary day feel like something worth remembering. There will always be an empty place where Gio should be. At the table. At the barbecue. In the car looking at Christmas lights. During the holidays. But there will never be an empty place in our hearts for him. I pray that when the holidays come around, we don't only think about how much we miss Gio. I hope we also remember how lucky we were to have him. I pray we keep doing the things he loved. Keep gathering. Keep laughing. Keep putting up the lights. Keep going to the pumpkin patches. Keep getting together around the grill. Even keep playing Monopoly, even though none of us probably needs another four-hour game. Because that's what Gio would want. He'd want us together And maybe that's the best way we can honor him. Every year when the Christmas lights go up, I think we'll see them a little differently. Because we'll remember that even when things feel dark, light is still there. That's who Gio was. He was light. He brought light into people's lives. And because he belonged to Christ, the Light of the World, we believe that his light hasn't gone out. He's simply gone home. So we're not saying goodbye without hope. We're hurting. We're going to miss him. There are going to be days when it feels especially hard. But we believe that one day this goodbye won't be goodbye anymore One day, we'll see him again. Until then, we'll carry him with us. We'll carry him through September, October, November, December, and every month that comes after. We'll find him in the lights. We'll find him in the laughter. We'll find him in our family gatherings. We'll find him in the memories. And we'll always be grateful that we got to love him Thank you, Gio, for making our lives brighter. We love you. And we will miss you every single day. Until we see you again Sonny.

My bonus son

Gio came into my life so unexpectedly we came to your house for a 4th of July celebration and next thing I knew our families were one together! Gio spent so much time with us he was a son to me he helped out with my daycare kids he was a big brother to my son and he was my daughters best friend and love. Then we got to also spend time with your whole family and we became family as well! That young man was amazing and helpful and respectful, can’t say he didn’t drive me crazy at times like he was my son too lol but I loved him with my whole heart as I did all of you! You both raised such an amazing young man and I am so grateful I got to share some time with him as well! He will forever be part of my family as will all of you! He is loved and missed daily!

Levi Davidson 2w

Math class

Hi all, I’m Levi, Gio’s 9th grade math teacher. I’m admittedly pretty shy with public postings but I think it’s important for people to know the kind of person he was. If you’re unfamiliar with a 9th grade math class it’s a pretty lawless world. 35 kids stuck together in a room with only the common enemy of “x” to bring them together. Plenty of heads down, drooling, sudden trips to the bathroom during the most important part of the lesson, etc. You get the picture. Somehow in all of this there’s a student who completes all his work without being asked and sticks mostly to himself, preferring to sit toward the back of class. He aces every test, although not many people would know it because he just recycles the paper as soon as he reads it. He never complains, nor raises his hand, and just offers a quiet correct answer when called on. A rare student by teaching standards. Cut to mid year and we’re on a particularly hard topic. I’ve got hands up left and right, more than I can seem to get to. Many students just don’t seem to be understanding my explanation so I point my current student over to the quiet student in the corner who is probably watching a basketball highlights video and I say “Gio finished awhile ago, but I bet he can explain this to you”. The student goes over and asks Gio, who looks surprised, but is happy to take out his notes and explain the problem at hand. They continue to chat and the student heads back to their desk and continues working. Afterwards Gio comes up to me and asks me why I sent that student to him. I looked at him and said “well, cause you’re smart and I thought maybe you could explain it better.” He looked at me for a while and nodded and said “can I walk around and help other people?” For the rest of the year I was lucky enough to have a second teacher in the classroom and I’ll never forget the kindness and patience he showed to my students. Thanks for raising Gio to be the gentleman he was. Levi

Gio

I love you my boy