Family Stuff

I drove to Delaware from Georgia on Thursday after work, then back to Georgia again on Saturday night. The drive took about 12 hours each way. (Yes, I still went skating last night)

My uncle Roger died last week and his funeral was on Friday morning. Relatives came in from all over the country to say goodbye and I could do no less. (yes, that was me flying past you on I95 at 4 in the morning)

Uncle Roger was known in our family for two things: his thriftiness and his sense of humor.

I’m unable to discuss my uncle’s thriftiness here – I don’t wish to get in trouble with my family.

A few years back, my Auntie Ro had to have a toe amputated. Uncle Roger went out and bought her some socks made with individual toes. He cut off the sock toe to correspond with her amputation. The rest of us were handling the toe situation delicately and his joke was exactly what my auntie needed at the time. He made us laugh whether we wanted to or not.

We laughed a lot in Delaware after the funeral. Old stories were retold, old tricks played on each other, old wounds opened and rehealed, and new bonds forged. We were able to get to know each other again for a few hours.

We made the same promise that we always do after a funeral: “we’ve got to get together again soon. We can’t wait for someone to pass away.”

I hope we keep the promise this time.