No, I Didn't Fall Into The River...
Hey Gang,
Contrary to popular belief, I DID NOT fall into the AuSable River and get carried off by the currents downstream! Throughout the past month, I've had to deliver three eulogies at the funerals of three of "my kids"-- the kids battling cancer who've taken a past tying class, or were taking the class most recently ended. I'm not much on public speaking, but I'm told that the family found my words comforting in their hour of despair.
As for the churches filled with folks that I only knew a few of-- mostly "my kids" past and present --I hope I left them with the knowledge of how big a loss each and every single one of these kids was to us all. In their short years on this earth, they faced adversity beyond compare, and almost always did it with courage, grace under fire, and pure class. Since I undertook the project of the annual tying classes, it has been MY honor to have known all of "my kids."
In another time and place, perhaps, it might have been less tough on my aging self. But, our own youngest, Laramie, died in 2010 after her battle with leukemia, and that wound is still too close to the surface. Besides, one of the eulogies I delivered was for the late Laramie's best friend, "Sam." She, too, lost her battle with the disease.
So, my apologies for my absence, but it's been a tough month... Jerry, aka hairwing530
