Bella meets Uncle Jerry

We have a picture of Uncle Jerry with his favorite dog Duchess when I first told him of my future fatherhood last June, again in October when I introduced him to Laura, and now for the big introduction...........
Bella meets her Great-Uncle, the Very Reverend Father John G. Nugent, CM. This picture was taken on Saturday May 30th, the morning after we arrived in Philadelphia. We were invited up for the Vincentian Family Day while also celebrating the 60th Jubilee Anniversary of Uncle Jerry's 60th year in the Order. We also took the opportunity to celebrate his 87th birthday which was last Friday on the 22nd.
Bella's name after a star has a lot to do with Uncle Jerry. It is not just the fact that I used to teach Celestial Navigation that gave me the idea to look to the stars for a unique name, but rather the memory of laying in the sand on the beach in Point Lookout looking up at the summer sky at night with my uncle. For as long as I can remember, Uncle Jerry would spend nearly every weekend he could with us as we were growing up, teaching us about science and nature, playing the piano at the bottom of the stairs, and constantly challenging us with trivia questions; (How many States and their Capitals can you recite?) He would always perplex us with facts and figures, and stump us at Scrabble with words like "Syzygy" (the alignment of three or more celestial bodies) to keep us thinking beyond the scope of everyday life. It is one night that I vividly remember to this day when we were laying in the sand looking up at the sky sharing my Dad's binoculars trying to find a comet or something in the Southern sky. I can still feel the warmth of that fine white sand that I had covered my legs with to ward off the cool Southerly breeze as I was just wearing shorts - I didn't want to leave then and still wish I was there today.
I am very happy that Bella got this chance to meet Uncle Jerry. I just hope that I can fill nearly one of his size 14 shoes trying to teach her as much about this world while always being the one to bring her comfort and exemplify inner peace, as my Uncle has done for me.
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