Uncle Edwin
My Oldest Uncle, Uncle Edwin died today. He had prostate cancer and didn't want to die in a hospital, running up bills, so he died at home, surrounded by his family. he was my Granny's oldest son.
I have one extra special memory of him that I've been thinking about since I found out he was sick a few months ago.
When I was little, no more then 6 or 7 my Granny took me to his house and we went fishing. I had never really fished before (except for candy at halloween festivals) and I was super excited. We went to a pond and he baited my hook and cast it out for me, and told me to wait for a tug on the line. We sat out there for awhile, probably while I prattled on about some book or Tv show, or some school friends he had never heard of or would ever meet. When the tug finally came, i was so flabbergasted that I couldn't reel it in. Uncle Edwin did it for me, and there it was, a fish on the end of the line, a small fish by any standards, but a fish! and *I* had caught it! I wanted to eat it. But Uncle Edwin told me we were only fishing for fun, and showed me how to carefully take it off the hook and let it go. He let me try to bait the hook for the next one, but I, of course, got the hook lodged in my finger. He carefully Took it out and then Snipped it off the line and threw it in the water. "that was a bad hook" he said, and put another on the line.
We didn't catch anymore fish that day, but as were were driving home at dusk, another special thing happened. As we were going down the country road, a deer stepped right in front of the car. I had never seen one so close, and I just stared. he stood in the road for a second, almost like he was waiting for me to get a good look at him, and then bounded off across the road. it was a miraculous and solemn moment. and one I will concentrate on and revel in tonight as his Soul makes it way to be with my granddad and Uncle Emmett.
He was a good man.
I have one extra special memory of him that I've been thinking about since I found out he was sick a few months ago.
When I was little, no more then 6 or 7 my Granny took me to his house and we went fishing. I had never really fished before (except for candy at halloween festivals) and I was super excited. We went to a pond and he baited my hook and cast it out for me, and told me to wait for a tug on the line. We sat out there for awhile, probably while I prattled on about some book or Tv show, or some school friends he had never heard of or would ever meet. When the tug finally came, i was so flabbergasted that I couldn't reel it in. Uncle Edwin did it for me, and there it was, a fish on the end of the line, a small fish by any standards, but a fish! and *I* had caught it! I wanted to eat it. But Uncle Edwin told me we were only fishing for fun, and showed me how to carefully take it off the hook and let it go. He let me try to bait the hook for the next one, but I, of course, got the hook lodged in my finger. He carefully Took it out and then Snipped it off the line and threw it in the water. "that was a bad hook" he said, and put another on the line.
We didn't catch anymore fish that day, but as were were driving home at dusk, another special thing happened. As we were going down the country road, a deer stepped right in front of the car. I had never seen one so close, and I just stared. he stood in the road for a second, almost like he was waiting for me to get a good look at him, and then bounded off across the road. it was a miraculous and solemn moment. and one I will concentrate on and revel in tonight as his Soul makes it way to be with my granddad and Uncle Emmett.
He was a good man.