This past week my family lost my Uncle Terry, my dad’s twin brother, to cancer but Heaven gained a believer, a fisherman, a grandfather, an Uncle, a brother, a dad and a husband. My Uncle Terry was all these things and many more to so many different people. I heard stories last week of things that he did for others. Stories that told the story of a man’s life that helped others, who ministered to others without realizing he was ministering to others. A man that loved his job and while working with his crew he shared food and penned words that often times was meant to help them out of a hard time. There are a ton of stories that I could share with you about my Uncle Terry but I’m going to be a little selfish and hold them for myself so I can enjoy talking about him with my cousins, my aunt and especially my dad.
In the midst of all the pain, all the suffering, the crying, I have realized how close I am to my Dad’s side of the family. We all love each other in a way that is unique to us, in a way that some have to experience in order to fully understand, just ask Emily. My family is a group who accepts all new people and as long as they never hurt one of us they will always remain accepted. We are a family that loves to be together, loves to hug, give a kiss on the cheek, shed tears with each other, share laughs, food, and deepest inner feelings and thoughts. We are a close family.
Even though we are all mourning the passing into heaven of our great friend, father, uncle, brother, son and husband I am thankful to know that I have such an awesome and unique family. I am thankful to know that my mom and dad love each enough to have been married 40 years, to have the example of Pat and Terry’s 42 years of marriage, the example of love that each of them has given to myself, my brother and all of my cousins. Theirs is a love that I hope Emily, Erin, Jerry and I can learn from, a love of unselfish giving of each other, a love that places faith in God and family before anything else. It’s the type of love that God created for us to have.
In John 14:27 Jesus promises us that we will always have Peace that the Holy Spirit gives to us and the Spirit’s peace for me through all of this has been found in the life my Uncle Terry led, the love of a huge family, the example of two great marriages and now the reconnection of my family to my dad’s younger brother Charlie. How awesome is our God because nothing would make my Uncle Terry happier than knowing that my dad and Charlie were together this past Friday and that a new connection has been made, a new friendship found and a new member to our unique family. My God is awesome and I am thankful He is Lord over my life.
In the midst of all the pain, all the suffering, the crying, I have realized how close I am to my Dad’s side of the family. We all love each other in a way that is unique to us, in a way that some have to experience in order to fully understand, just ask Emily. My family is a group who accepts all new people and as long as they never hurt one of us they will always remain accepted. We are a family that loves to be together, loves to hug, give a kiss on the cheek, shed tears with each other, share laughs, food, and deepest inner feelings and thoughts. We are a close family.
Even though we are all mourning the passing into heaven of our great friend, father, uncle, brother, son and husband I am thankful to know that I have such an awesome and unique family. I am thankful to know that my mom and dad love each enough to have been married 40 years, to have the example of Pat and Terry’s 42 years of marriage, the example of love that each of them has given to myself, my brother and all of my cousins. Theirs is a love that I hope Emily, Erin, Jerry and I can learn from, a love of unselfish giving of each other, a love that places faith in God and family before anything else. It’s the type of love that God created for us to have.
In John 14:27 Jesus promises us that we will always have Peace that the Holy Spirit gives to us and the Spirit’s peace for me through all of this has been found in the life my Uncle Terry led, the love of a huge family, the example of two great marriages and now the reconnection of my family to my dad’s younger brother Charlie. How awesome is our God because nothing would make my Uncle Terry happier than knowing that my dad and Charlie were together this past Friday and that a new connection has been made, a new friendship found and a new member to our unique family. My God is awesome and I am thankful He is Lord over my life.
