My uncle passed away last Friday. Unfortunately the news was not a shock. He'd been in poor health for a long time--an obscure lung disease forced a lung transplant, during which he suffered a stroke and never fully recovered. Some things in life make no sense to me. Like how such a vibrant, healthy, fun man could be incapacitated at a relatively young age.
I've always loved him. Growing up, our families were extremely close. Honestly, their kids, my sister and I felt more like siblings than cousins. My sister and I would sit in our window seat half an hour before they were due to arrive, and we'd press our noses to the glass, wondering out loud if the car approaching could be them.
My uncle and my dad were left in charge of us kids on numerous occasions. Once, we were loading the dishwasher and ran out of detergent. When we asked them what we should do, they told us to use dishwashing liquid. Thirty minutes later we had soap suds climbing the cabinets onto the counter! My uncle and my dad laughed as hard as we did.
We could get away with more with our dads, too. My cousin and I would grab an old sleeping bag and ride it down their wooden staircase over and over. Our moms would yell at us to stop after one go, but the dads? Nope. We'd get at least a dozen rides in before they told us to stop.
As I grew older, our relationship changed. My husband and I moved around a lot, leaving us less time to spend with our extended families. I wish I could have been there for my aunt and cousins for the last few years as they've dealt with extremely difficult circumstances.
Sometimes I wish I could have another weekend of riding down that staircase with my cousin--when our families were intact, healthy, and happy.
I guess I should be thankful I had it to begin with.
I am. I'm very thankful.
It's times like these I'm filled with gratitude for the Lord and my faith because I know I'll see my uncle again.
Have your relationships changed with your extended family as you've gotten older?
Enjoy your day.
Showing posts with label family memories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family memories. Show all posts
Monday, September 12, 2011
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