In Memoriam: Uncle Art

My Uncle Art passed away on the evening of the first day of the new year. It wasn't entirely a surprise. He had been ill for the last two months or so with cancer & a failing liver. All the same, my heart aches for him and for his children, who have watched both of their parents die of cancer, and for his grandchildren. My Uncle Art was a gruff man but sweet. He had the most fantastic waxed handlebar mustache. Out of all the members of my extended family on my father's side, which is quite close unlike my mother's, he was probably the person I knew the least. I am sorry for that. Tomorrow is his son's birthday and his granddaughter's. I know it will be a hard day for both of them. At times like these I wish I lived closer, could quickly physically reach out and embrace them and try to bring some joy to their birthdays. Even now, being in Colorado, I am still far away from my cousins in New York state and somehow the snail mail sympathy cards, the telephone conversations, and the e-mail just doesn't seem enough.