{Good-bye January}

I was going to start out by saying, "I am glad January is ending." Although January was sad, it also had lots of good. On January 16th, my dad's twin brother, Tom passed away. My Uncle Tom. 

Uncle Tom wasn't sick. He was 72. This has been so hard for all of our family. My heart aches for my dad. My heart aches for my Grandmom. She is 98 and no one should have to bury their child.  My heart aches for my Aunts. My heart aches for my cousin Tommy.

My sister and I flew back to New Jersey with our parents for my uncle's funeral. My uncle is a retired police detective. He also worked for bridge police (after retirement) and also as an EMT. He never stopped giving or helping people. His funeral was HUGE! They even closed the freeway.

This photo is when we pulled into the cemetery. They had a flag hanging from a fire truck in his honor. It was rainy and cold and had snowed two days earlier.

The Navy came and they folded the flag that was on his casket. There was a bagpipe player. Even though it was so sad it was a beautiful funeral.   One I want to remember because I never realized my uncle had made such a big difference in so many people's lives. He was so loved and never asked for anything in return. 

So the reason I am not happy to see January go, even though it was a tough month.... I got to see this lady smile.

 

My Grandmom. She's 98. She's seen a lot in this world. It was hard for her, but to see her sipping her wine and reading her paper at the end of the day is a good thing.  Again.....this is why I take pictures. I took a lot on this trip. I got to meet, for the first time, 1st cousins and 2nd cousins and see relatives I have not seen in 28 years.  I won't share all the photos I took. These were just on my phone. You can read more about Uncle Tom's funeral here.

My uncle was a happy person and we laughed a lot and shed a lot of tears in January. That's the way he would of wanted it.  We will forever miss you and never forget you, Uncle Tom.

**photo taken 1-13-12
 
 

Comments

[Sherri]

Hugs Karen! We said goodbye to a lot of good men these last few months!