Fulfillment

Uncle Slim in his Cowboy hat and Daddy.

No one likes funerals, but the bright side is always seeing so many family members all together.  This past week my family buried my uncle in Atlanta.  I was apprehensive about going because of the hassle of making such a trip with my girl.  I'm so thankful that I did, we got to see so many distant cousins that I haven't seen since I was a kid.  It was so sweet to hear people recall knowing me as a child and now meeting my daughter.  There is really nothing more special than the feeling of love that runs within a family even on such a sad occasion.

My Uncle Slim was the epitome of the uncle that every family has.  The one that you have so many memories of that bring a smile to your face.  He was the uncle that I told Chris about while we were dating and couldn't wait for him to meet once we got married.  He was the uncle that you know no matter how tall you grow or how old you get, he always sees you as a kid.  Uncle Slim was the uncle who fit the description of every comedians jokes.

During the remarks at the service my Daddy spoke about the brother-in-law that he inherited when he married my Mom.  He talked about how they were both men who had married two sisters in the same family.  They are definitely two very different kind of men as Daddy noted by quoting Uncle Slim, "Brother-in-law I'm an outlaw, and you're the law so I don't know how this is going to work."  Nevertheless, they were two men who could share a cocktail and talk man to man.  His absence will definitely leave a hole in our family and his off the cuff whit will be missed.  My Daddy read this poem that he felt was fitting to memorialize Uncle Slim.

Fulfillment

By: Walter Lewis Smith

I have worked in the fertile earth and planted a garden, so I know what faith is.

I have listened to the birds caroling in the early morning and at dusk, so I know what music is.

I have seen the morning without clouds after showers, so I know what beauty is.

I have sat before a wood fire with old friends, so I know what companionship is.

I have walked the paths of quietness along the forest floor, so I know what peace is.

I have dwelt in the valley of remembrance and on the hills of home, so I know what love is.

I have seen the miracle of spring, the fruition of summer, and beauty of autumn, followed by the repose of winter, so I know what life is.

And because I have perceived all these things, I know what God is.