Happy June the 2
For Uncle Jim:
Miss you every day.
June the 2, Pork Chops, Billy Joel & Greatness
When I lost my brother my Dad and my Uncle Jim made sure that they stepped in to make up for some of the loss by calling me and telling me they were thinking about me.
When Dad passed, Uncle Jim, his own heartbroken worked even harder to touch base. We talked Yankees, food, the Ria sisters (Gonna and Dia), and how much we missed our brothers.
Uncle Jim got pretty sick, really fast. We lost him this morning. He will most likely get to heaven before the pasta is served. If life is fair, there will be pork chops in the sauce today.
My Uncle loved pork chops. I'm talking, he dreamed of them sometimes. He'd call me late in the afternoon and ask me what I was having for dinner. We shared dinner quite a few times...not enough though.
He loved his family even more. Uncle Jim would call me the day before my birthday. Every year. He said he wanted to be the first one to wish me a great day. Then he would call me the next day and ask me if he'd been first.
He was so dedicated to his wife, daughters, and grandchildren that like my Dad, every other pursuit of the fleeting things in life was dismissed. As long as he fostered that love, he was happy. And he was always happy. His personality traits should be studied and taught to others in this world.
For years I told Uncle Jim that he resembled Billy Joel, and he did a little. He loved when I told him that because he would insist that he got his Christie Brinkley.
And he did. He loved my aunt so much. He loved his daughters and grandchildren even more. He loved his mom and dad and his brothers and sisters. Since I was a small boy, I'd tell my Dad that Uncle Jim was one of the best guys I ever met.
My Dad agreed.
Everybody did.
So, here we are again. June the 2 will never be the same because Uncle Jim was the one, who like George Costanza's father, made it into his own holiday. This past year my "Merry June the 2" call came at 6:30 a.m.
I smiled when I saw Uncle Jim's name on the face of my phone.
As a matter of fact, he always made me smile.
And there's a great temptation to feel sorry for my family here. Yeah, we've taken an absolute beating in the last 3 years, losing parents, uncles, nephews, brothers, aunts and moms and dads.
I dread all of the pain, but I do know...for certain now...that we will sustain. I've said it so many times: love kicks deaths ass if we look at it the right way, and there is no separation, if we don't allow our hearts to feel it.
And we will sustain because of the love they showed us, taught us, and demanded of us.
I'll miss you more than you know, Uncle Billy Joel, but then again, you're right here, always, in the muscle beating underneath my shirt.
Feeling thankful that I basked in greatness.
Miss you every day.
June the 2, Pork Chops, Billy Joel & Greatness
When I lost my brother my Dad and my Uncle Jim made sure that they stepped in to make up for some of the loss by calling me and telling me they were thinking about me.
When Dad passed, Uncle Jim, his own heartbroken worked even harder to touch base. We talked Yankees, food, the Ria sisters (Gonna and Dia), and how much we missed our brothers.
Uncle Jim got pretty sick, really fast. We lost him this morning. He will most likely get to heaven before the pasta is served. If life is fair, there will be pork chops in the sauce today.
My Uncle loved pork chops. I'm talking, he dreamed of them sometimes. He'd call me late in the afternoon and ask me what I was having for dinner. We shared dinner quite a few times...not enough though.
He loved his family even more. Uncle Jim would call me the day before my birthday. Every year. He said he wanted to be the first one to wish me a great day. Then he would call me the next day and ask me if he'd been first.
He was so dedicated to his wife, daughters, and grandchildren that like my Dad, every other pursuit of the fleeting things in life was dismissed. As long as he fostered that love, he was happy. And he was always happy. His personality traits should be studied and taught to others in this world.
For years I told Uncle Jim that he resembled Billy Joel, and he did a little. He loved when I told him that because he would insist that he got his Christie Brinkley.
And he did. He loved my aunt so much. He loved his daughters and grandchildren even more. He loved his mom and dad and his brothers and sisters. Since I was a small boy, I'd tell my Dad that Uncle Jim was one of the best guys I ever met.
My Dad agreed.
Everybody did.
So, here we are again. June the 2 will never be the same because Uncle Jim was the one, who like George Costanza's father, made it into his own holiday. This past year my "Merry June the 2" call came at 6:30 a.m.
I smiled when I saw Uncle Jim's name on the face of my phone.
As a matter of fact, he always made me smile.
And there's a great temptation to feel sorry for my family here. Yeah, we've taken an absolute beating in the last 3 years, losing parents, uncles, nephews, brothers, aunts and moms and dads.
I dread all of the pain, but I do know...for certain now...that we will sustain. I've said it so many times: love kicks deaths ass if we look at it the right way, and there is no separation, if we don't allow our hearts to feel it.
And we will sustain because of the love they showed us, taught us, and demanded of us.
I'll miss you more than you know, Uncle Billy Joel, but then again, you're right here, always, in the muscle beating underneath my shirt.
Feeling thankful that I basked in greatness.
Comments