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The Gift of Life

By jgaron
  • Birth Newborn and First Two Years

    Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale NBAS
    Bonding
    Biosocial - Brain Development, Motor Skills
    Cognitive - Primary,Secondary, Tertiary Circular Reactions; Information Processing; Language
    Psychosocial - Emotional Developement, Social Bonds, Attachment, Social Referencing
  • Early Childhood

    Biosocial - Connection of Brain Hemispheres & Brain Development; Improved Motor Skills, Fine Motor Skills
    Cognitive - Preoperational Intelligence, Social Learning, Childrens Theories, Language Grammer
    Psychosocial - Emotional Development, regulation, motivation, Play, Emapthy, Antipathy
  • Kindergarden

    Bio Social - Immunizations at the doctors (a mouse face drawn on my arm); playing in the Kindergarden room and outside on the playground,
    Cognitive - classification, transitive inference, Mrs. Tanki reading to us while we sat in a circle on a letter of the alphabet.
    Psychosocial - Listening to Grimm's Fairy Tales with headphones in a big leather chair at my Grandparents house, and learning to draw.
  • Grade School 1st to 8th grade

    Bio Social, - Playing Army, Red Light Green Light, riding bikes everywhere, Litttle League, Golfing with Dad
    Cognitive - St. Damian School, Sister Mary Katari, Felician Nuns, Bookbags, School uniforms, reading groups, religion class
    Psychosocial - Taking out the garbage, helping Dad with the cars, Learning to tie shoes in the basement, and telling time.
  • Graduation 8th Grade

    Bio Social - Getting as tall as Mom, playing softball at recess, playing "soccer" at recess.

    Cognitive - Taking the entrance exam for High School and getting in
    Psychosocial - having a lawn cutting "business" working for the neighbors tax business, babysitting
  • Dating and Highschool

    Biosocial - caring about appearence, the right haircut, glasses
    Cognitive - Trading classrooms, gym class, biology, chemistry, german, religion classes
    Psychosocial - Sadie Hawkins dances, going to football, basketball games. First Girlfriend
  • Graduation High School started College

    Bio Social, - Working out
    Cognitive, - accepted to Wayne State University, papers, deadlines
    Psychosocial - Working to pay for school, driving downtown to go to school, meeting new people
  • Hired as a Line Worker

    Psychosocial, First "adult" job making enough money to pay for all of college. Hot loud factory, meeting coworkers on the line, the smell of oil in the air. Becoming independant, an adult.
  • Hired as a Coop Student

    Cognitive - Learning how to work in an office
    Psychosocial, - interviewing for the biggest opportunity in my life to date, the bullpen office, my first desk in a finance office
  • Graduated College

    Cognitive - Papers, finals, class projects with classmates, standing in line at the placement office
    Psychosocial - The Fraternity, parties, ski trips, worrying about finding a job, (it was the "great recession") dating, meeting my future wife
  • Married

    BioSocial, - Working out,
    Psychosocial - Engagement, the ring, planning for the wedding, the wedding, building the house, starting life as an adult
  • Divorced

    BioSocial - the realization I was gay, the big secret
    Psychosocial - My wife seen with another man
  • Graduation with a Masters

    Cognitive, night classes while working, group projects with classmates.

    PsychoSocial - working out, becoming social with classmates, first dating experiences with men.
  • Mom dies

    PsychoSocial - Depression, alone, spending hours on the phone with siblings as we try to cope with Mom's untimely death.
  • Met my Late Partner

    BioSocial - dating coming to an end, accepting myself as a gay man
    Psychosocial - Finally meeting "the one" finally feeling true safe love. acceptance from families, friends. Built a great life as Uncle Joe and Uncle Randy. Attending many family events.
  • Cohabitated with Late Partner

    Biosocial - full adult relationship, romance, monagomy,
    Psychosocial - Built the dream house, large family gatherings, large gatherings with friends, feeling like we finally made it. Getting involved with Church and the Gay Chorus.
  • Michigan Votes to ban marriage for same sex couples

    Psychosocial - I will not be allowed to marry my life partner in the state of Michigan.

    Cognitive - according to state law we are not related
    Biosocial - not allowed to self identify as a couple, causing great stress
  • Sudden Death of Late Partner

    PsychoSocial, - Major Deppression, shock, very lonely, feeling that life was over, just waited to die. Love and support from both families as we work through this.
  • Met New Partner

    BioSocial - working out losing weight, caring about my appearence, how I look in clothes again.
    Cognitive - the practical aspects of dating today, social networks, smart phones
    Psychosocial - The first date, the first kiss, with my new man
  • Retired, Started Class Full Time

    Cognitive - New classes, tests, finals, science classes, learning how to learn again, how to study, how to take tests after 20 years.

    Psychosocial - excitement with the new material, relief from the drudgery of the finance department after 32 years.
  • Defense of Marriage Act struck down by the Supreme Court

    Psychosocial - hope to be considered legally a couple in the State of Michigan soon, just like all my neighbors, and family. It is most important in times of illness and death. Although legal measures can be made when both partners are alive, the surviving partner looses all control at the moment of death. Fortunately, my late partners family was very loving
    Cognitive - the law is still complicated for those of us in states with constitutional bans.

    Biosocial - some stress is removed
  • Start Nursing School

    Cognitive - learning how to care for patients
    Psychosocial - new classmates with a common interest
  • Graduation Nursing School

    Cognitive - classes, clinicals, exams, finals
    Psychosocial - new career, second chance at life as a new adult.
  • Marry Partner

    BioSocial, - Monogamy
    Psychosocial - First legal marriage, since marrying my former wife (hopefully)
  • London and Paris

    Cognitive - Tour historic London and Paris
    Psychosocial - 2 weeks away with the one I love
    Biosocial - The first in a series of dream vacatons to keep us active
  • The Grand Canyon

    Cognitive - touring historic Grand Canyon
    Biosocial - training to hike around Grand Canyon
    Psychosocial - a couple weeks away to focus on the relationship
  • A Month in Maui

    Psychosocial - the ultimate second honeymoon
    Biosocial - keeping active and fit (gotta look good in the pictures)
    Cognitive - learning of other cultures
  • Tour of Poland & the Ukraine

    Cognitive - touring historic Poland, the place of my Grandparents birth,
    Psychosocial - to see the picture of my name sake hanging in Auschwitz
    Biosocial - keeping active and fit, to hike around Europe
  • Italy

    Cognitive - touring historic Italy
    Psychosocial - seeing some of the greatest works of art with my Husband
    Biosocial - keeping fit and active, maintaining a healthy lifestyle
  • Retire from Nursing

    Psychosocial - Time to stop working a job, start more travel and socializing with Family and Friends. Volunteer at the Capuchin Soup Kitchen with friends
    Biosocial - having more time to stay fit
  • One last downsize to a smaller home

    Psychosocial - finding just the right place to spend the last chapters
    Biosocial - time to move when the stairs and housework are too much for the joints to take
    Cognitive - simplyfying for less to worry about.
  • The great roadtrip around the States and Canada

    Cognitive - buying an Airstream and seeing the states close up
    Psychosocial - being in very close quarters with the one you love for months at a time
    Biosocial - staying fit in order to take trips, staying active to promote a healthy lifestyle
  • The first Great Great Niece/Nephew is born

    Psychosocial - My oldest Greatniece gives birth to her first child
    Biosocial - maintaining long term loving family relationships
    Cognitive - becoming a family historian passing the past on to the future
  • The last Great Niece gets married

    Psychosocial - Great Uncle Joe and Uncle Paul watch the last great niece get married.

    Biosocial - maintaining healthy family relationships
    Cognitive - staying connected to family and friends
  • Leave Earth for Great Reward

    Biosocial - the body gives out
    Cognitive & Psychosocial - the new journey begins