In Memory

Mom's only brother, Sam, passed away today after and long, traumatic illness. To the many of you who prayed for him over the past few months, thank you so much.

I always thought it was cool to have an Uncle Sam. We used to shout, "Uncle Sam! Uncle Sam! May we cross your river dam?" in the dusky midnight of Alaskan summers. Maybe no one else was thinking about a real uncle Sam, but I was.

I didn't grow up around Sam and his family, but on our summer visits to California's Central Valley, I collected a heart full of memories. Two smells come to mind - cows and chocolate. It was fun to visit Sam's farm and drink goat milk like Heidi of Switzerland fame, pet the chinchillas in the barn, and moo to the cows. To drive between Grandma and Grandpa's place and Sam's place, we had to go right past the Hershey factory. I'd always look up at the kiss-shaped streetlights and gulp in great big breaths of chocolate air. Sometimes we even got to go in the factory and watch them make delicious wonderments like Hershey bars and Reese's Pieces.

I don't think the temperature ever dropped below 100 on those summertime visits. But in the winter, the valley is damp and foggy. Early morning light barely presses its way through the mist to reveal the silhouettes of hundreds of birds nesting in the trees about the farm. But inside Sam's house, it was always toasty warm.

And Sam always had a special way of greeting us. A special treat, a trip to the fruit stand, a cherry picking trip, a breakfast out at Brian's place, Sam loved to share the things he loved. A favorite memory is of going out to a restaurant when our twins were 2. We'd just come from Africa and the kids had never seen helium balloons before. Sam got them each a balloon and they thought he'd hung the moon.

In recent years, it's been fun during our rare visits to share book recommendations. Sam loved a good read, both for himself and for the many young minds he guided as a school librarian.

I'd appreciate continued prayers, especially for my mom and for Sam's wife and children. And if you've got anyone in your family you haven't hugged lately, do it soon.