Ode to Uncle John

Hello, Friends!

Today I would like to share a story about a very interesting family member, Uncle John. A couple of weeks ago, my husband and I went to visit Uncle John. Now Uncle John is in his late 90's (our best guesstimate is 96), and while we are not sure of his exact age, we do know that he has lived life to the full. I love our visits with Uncle John; he cannot hear much of what we say anymore (we don't take offense that he is ignoring us!) but his eyes still twinkle when he shares pieces of his life story with us. He tells of the days he and a buddy went hunting in a remote location in Alaska, and that the plane that dropped them off would come back in a couple of weeks for them - if they survived! His garage with an attached room - today it would be called his Man cave- is full of all sorts of heads of animals that he has hunted and captured. He handcrafted his own rifles and guns, and made his own bullets. And many an award was given to John.

He tells of his early years, when he left home, at about 14 years, and hitched a ride on a train, and his wanderlust took him many places as he pursued his life as a hobo (please do NOT call him a bum, for hobo's worked for their money, no begging, making enough to tide them over till they hitched a ride to a new and interesting place), and he laughs as he shares his many stories, and we are glued to his every word. At 90, he complained to us at Christmas that he wasn't worth a darn any more, cause when he went hunting he had to come home by noon!  When Uncle John talks about his time in World War II, his eyes cloud over with sadness, and only recently did he share with us that memories of the war still haunt him, as he fulfilled his service to his country.

And as Uncle John shares His stories, he always near the end of our time says, "I have lived a good life, the Lord has been good to me. I have no regrets," and we are enchanted with his humility and gratitude for the life he has chosen to live. But you know what he has said that buried itself so deeply in my heart and soul? He said, "It is a wonderful life, but it takes work. It doesn't just happen, ya know. You have to work at it." So Uncle John, I take your advice, and on days when I feel down or don't feel like doing much, I “do it anyway,” so that I can create another interesting and worthwhile day in the life of ME. And I am grateful to have had you in my life, as an example of the life I want to look back on at 96 years young, and with a twinkle in my eye, say, “I have lived a good life, the Lord has been good to me, and I have no regrets..."