Sunday, December 6, 2009

please bear with us...

Xavier's continued Existence will have to wait a tad as we are on the road, in Cincinnati (Xavier should actually be here by now) attending to a sad duty, paying respects to an uncle who passed away a couple days ago. I saw him quite a bit when we cousins were all young and spending summers at the Grandparents' house in the woods, on the water. Some idyllic summers and some great memories. Perhaps my most lasting memory of my uncle, though, was the afternoon we spent in the yard back home, several of us cousins and neighborhood buddies, catching footballs my uncle heaved repeatedly over the largest birch tree in the yard. Then there is the audible memory of his hearty laugh - you knew when he was in the room, with that great laugh.

We'll get back to Xavier later this week, but for now I guess I'd better appreciate the suite they bumped us up to here - no questions asked. Two TVs, three phones, fridge, a little "sitting room", and yeah, free internet service.

6 comments:

Connie said...

I'm sorry to hear of your uncle's passing, Ben. You have good memories of him to hold onto. Thank you for sharing them. Sending a prayer up for your family. Wishing you safe travels home when you are done there, and I will look forward to hearing more about Xavier later in the week.

Jen said...

Sorry to hear about your uncle Ben. Sounds like he left some good memories with you.
and you are being well taken care of in Cincinnati!

Minerva said...

Sorry we couldn't make it out on such short notice. We'll be out when we can..
Yup, Uncle Charles was one of a kind.

Busy Bee Suz said...

Sorry for your loss. It is nice that you are able to get there and mourn with your family. Safe travels.

Anonymous said...

I am sorry to hear of your Uncle's passing Ben. I am happy that you can be with the family during this time and remember the precious memories from the past. My prayers are with you and your family during this time. May God bless.

Ben said...

Thanks all! It was really good to be there despite the sad reason for the trip. There is strength in just being there sometimes. As my wife said, "This is what family is for". (It's also good to be back home!)