Uncle Steve
The last few months have been hard on our family. We've had two grandma's pass away before the end of 2012 and now here at the beginning of 2013 we have yet another family member pass away today.
My mom has a brother. I don't know if many people know that. All my life he has been the "black sheep" of the family if you will. The one that we didn't really talk about because of his lifestyle/drug use/jail time/younameithedidit way of life. He was only a year older than her...59 (sorry mom you've been outed) not very old by today's standards. He passed away early this morning in a hospital in Reno. My mom was very fortunate to have been able to go and sit by his hospital bed for the past few days and say her goodbyes. Not many people get this chance and although it was one of the hardest things she will ever do, it will probably rank right up there with one of the best things she has ever done.
One thing I have always been on this blog is frank, so here goes a pretty frank post.
Usually when someone dies, at least someone that you are close to or a family member, you try and think of stories, memories, times when you can remember them fondly. I do not have any of those times for my uncle. His presence in our lives was tumultuous, unstable and quite frankly scary at times.
I know my mother loved him. I know that his children will miss him no matter the poor choices he made while they were growing up. I mourn for them, and my heart goes out to them.
My own brother passed away in June of 2007. He was 22 years old. We had a rocky relationship much like the one my mom and her brother shared but not as extensive because he was so young. I cried the day he died, not because I was sad that he was gone, but because I could finally heal and so could he and I knew that he wasn't able to hurt others anymore. I think that is a lot like what I felt today learning about Steve. He can finally find peace and so can his family.
I know this all probably makes me sound like a pretty cold heartless person but I am not. I look at these two deaths and find comfort in our Heavenly Father's plan. I find comfort in the atonement that teaches us about Father's compassion. I find comfort in the knowledge that families are forever.
My mom has a brother. I don't know if many people know that. All my life he has been the "black sheep" of the family if you will. The one that we didn't really talk about because of his lifestyle/drug use/jail time/younameithedidit way of life. He was only a year older than her...59 (sorry mom you've been outed) not very old by today's standards. He passed away early this morning in a hospital in Reno. My mom was very fortunate to have been able to go and sit by his hospital bed for the past few days and say her goodbyes. Not many people get this chance and although it was one of the hardest things she will ever do, it will probably rank right up there with one of the best things she has ever done.
One thing I have always been on this blog is frank, so here goes a pretty frank post.
Usually when someone dies, at least someone that you are close to or a family member, you try and think of stories, memories, times when you can remember them fondly. I do not have any of those times for my uncle. His presence in our lives was tumultuous, unstable and quite frankly scary at times.
I know my mother loved him. I know that his children will miss him no matter the poor choices he made while they were growing up. I mourn for them, and my heart goes out to them.
My own brother passed away in June of 2007. He was 22 years old. We had a rocky relationship much like the one my mom and her brother shared but not as extensive because he was so young. I cried the day he died, not because I was sad that he was gone, but because I could finally heal and so could he and I knew that he wasn't able to hurt others anymore. I think that is a lot like what I felt today learning about Steve. He can finally find peace and so can his family.
I know this all probably makes me sound like a pretty cold heartless person but I am not. I look at these two deaths and find comfort in our Heavenly Father's plan. I find comfort in the atonement that teaches us about Father's compassion. I find comfort in the knowledge that families are forever.
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