Death…
It’s like a 4-letter word, only with 5 letters.

When a death happens in the family (or to a close friend’s family), it’s always amazing to me how the whole world doesn’t stand still with us. It seems like the affected family’s world turns at an incredibly slow pace. Everyone else continues to hustle and bustle about their day without a care. Don’t they know what just happened to our family?? How DARE they act as if nothing has happened!!!

I remember feeling this way with every loss (and almost loss) my family has experienced. I had the incredible experience of witnessing my Maternal Grandmother passing away. There was most definitely a higher power in that hospital room that both my Grandma and my young daughter saw. I was also in the room when my Paternal Grandmother passed away. Watching someone pass from this life to the next is a very unique experience. Those are stories for another day, I suppose.

As I am getting older, I’m noticing the number of people that I have lost keeps getting bigger. It makes sense, really. As I get older, I know more people. Additionally, those people that I knew as a little girl are getting older too. It’s unnerving, if I’m being honest. It really reminds you that you will not be here forever.

Matt’s Uncle passed away very unexpectedly last month. My family, both blood and in-law, are located all over the United States. Coast to coast, I believe. We don’t always have the time or the means to see everyone when everyone is so spread out. Even though it had been several years since Matt had seen his Uncle, the news hit him hard.

We don’t always see one another or talk or text, but we do take comfort in the fact that people are here among the living just doing their day to day thing. When a family member dies, there is a hole left . No matter how close or distant, there is always a hole.

When you lose someone, it makes you reminiscence about all the fun times (and maybe the not so fun times) you’ve had with that person. I, personally, only met Uncle Bill one time. That was on my wedding day. He was one of the groomsmen.

Matt and I had a very small, outdoor wedding. Since it was my wedding day, I was more preoccupied with wedding details than getting to know my new husbands extended family. I regret that I did not get the chance to know him better. To be fair, however, how well can you get to know someone in just a few hours??

When Matt got the phone call about his Uncle, I immediately thought of one specific picture. (Picture is below.)  If you know me at all, you know that I LOVE pictures! I grew up loving to look at picture albums that my Dad put together. Even now that my Sister and I are grown, we still enjoy pulling out those old photo albums and reliving the moments.

At our wedding, we had lots of people taking pictures and we even left disposable cameras on tables for our guests to help capture fun moments. After 10 years, I do not remember if the below picture was captured on a disposable camera or not, but someone was able to capture the fun and lightheartedness of the day.

One might think that these two men were brothers. They were, in fact, brothers-in-law. Their wives are sisters. They both served in the Army overseas in Germany at the same time. My Mother-In-Law and her Sister (and her kids) were also able to be in Germany with the guys.  Matt was born overseas in Germany, too.  Since they were family, and were in a foreign country, they spent a lot of time together and have a special bond that only they share from this experience. I enjoy listening to stories of their years in Germany before they came back home.

As a Christian family, we can take some comfort in knowing that we will see Uncle Bill again. It is still INCREDIBLY difficult knowing that we won’t see him again on this side of Heaven. Being a Christian doesn’t make the grief any less. He was a Husband, a Dad, a Grandpa, a Brother, an Uncle, and a Friend.

There is still a Wife, who no longer has her Husband. There are still a couple Kids, who no longer have their Dad. There is still a Brother, who no longer has his Brother. There is still a Grandchild, who no longer has a Grandpa. There are still Nieces and Nephews without their Uncle. And there are friends, who are now without a friend. Grief is grief. It looks different for everyone. There is no right or wrong way to grieve.  Now, there is a new handful of people walking in their own journey of grief. They all know they will see him again. And although that may bring some comfort in the early morning hours of not being able to sleep, it doesn’t change the fact that they must travel through this new journey of grief in their own way.

When someone passes unexpectedly, it reminds us to never let an argument stand in your way of forgiveness. Don’t hold grudges. Let people know that you love them. We are only here for a short time. Let’s leave a good mark and enjoy our time. Life is short. It’s been fun reading different stories that people have been sharing of Uncle Bill. It’s very apparent that he was a wonderful man of God.

And, I’m sure Uncle Bill is having a great time getting acquainted to his new Heavenly Home. Walking the streets of Gold, being reunited with family and friends who have gone on before him. He is probably feeling indescribable JOY! You guys, he gets to meet Jesus! Face to face! That’s incredible!