The world keeps spinning.
On April 12th... 13 days ago a man was killed. A man who was larger than life. A cowboy. Not one of those you see in rhinestones and long pointy toed boots, but a real cowboy. He worked cattle since he was a kid. He grabbed life by the horns and rode. He was brave and courageous. Tough as a boot.
He was a husband who loved his wife. He treasured her. He was a daddy to three beautiful daughters. He adored them. He was a son. He honored and cherished his parents. He was a brother. He loved and protected his sisters. He was a friend. He always had their back. He was a Christian. He put God first and loved Jesus. He was an uncle. My uncle. That cool uncle. That uncle who made you laugh. That uncle who could get you in trouble and your mom wouldn't care. That uncle you looked up to. That uncle who your friend's thought was so cool, because he would lasso them. That uncle that you trusted with everything. That uncle... Uncle Dee.
He was such a good man who never met a stranger. Anyone who ever meet Uncle Dee never forgot him. He was LOUD and his laugh was hilarious. He went for it. His life was cut short to us it seems, but to God it was just his time.
Last week as we gathered as a family to remember and mourn Uncle Dee it was such a sad time. It felt like any moment he was gonna bounce in through the door and we were all going to wake up from this nightmare.. but he didn't. The visitation was on Wednesday and the people... Oh the people that came to show love and honor his memory. People stood in line for over 2 hours to make it down to the family at the front of the room. It was amazing to see. You could tell by the amount of people that he was loved and that he had loved and shown kindness to many many people.
On Thursday we had the funeral. Two of his best friends spoke at the funeral. You could see in their faces the sadness they felt, but you could tell they wanted to really show their love. It was the most beautiful and yet the saddest funeral I have ever been too. My aunt had written their love story and it was read at the funeral. It was a true fairytale. Forget Romeo and Juliet. This was a union blessed by God, because they put God first. Their love could teach us all something. Teach us how to love and how a relationship is not 50/50, but rather giving your whole self and whole life to making someone else's life better! They did that for each other.
Over the days since my uncle's accident, one of the many things that have been going over and over in my mind is how blessed I am to be apart of this family. Through this horrible tragedy our family pulled together. Held each other up.. literally and emotionally. Everyone is heartbroken because we lost our amazing Dee, but all of us are also breaking because we can see the pain in each other's hearts. Watching my precious aunt in such pain and shock. Watching my cousins heart's break as they think back on their last conversations and the pain in knowing they will never get just one more hug from their dad. Holding my grandparents at the graveside as they lay their son to rest. Watching my mom crumble as 3 planes fly over 3 times in honor of her brother.
In this life there are things that happen that we cannot understand. There are tragedies that occur that cannot be explained right now. This life is full of tears and hardships that come and knock us down leaving us breathless. Some we can prepare for and others come suddenly... instantly without warning.
When I first heard the news, I had no idea how we would make it through the visitation, funeral, and coming days. I was scared and anxious for my aunt, cousins, grandparents, and mom. I honestly didn't know how things would happen, but as things progressed the only way we made it through was by our faith in our Lord and savior. God was there. He was and is pulling us through. He is the one who is holding us up. Pulling us together. Jesus loves us. God loves us. Even though we do not understand the reasoning and may never know until Jesus comes again, I think we all have a peace in knowing that Uncle Dee's life on this Earth is over, but one day we have a hope that we will see him again. I am at peace knowing that my uncle loved God and is now resting and waiting for the rest of us to join him so we can walk through those pearly gates and inherit our forever home in Heaven.
My family has a long road ahead. Life will never be the same. There are tears, horrible days, and grief ahead. I am finding my hope in knowing that one day there will be a place where no tear will dim the eye. No more saddens. No more pain. A place where only happiness will surround us. I find peace in knowing that God is in control and knows what he is doing. All things with God will work together for the good. Even though I have no idea why this happened, there are things working together all in the hands of our Lord.
Please pray for the ones close to Uncle Dee as they travel on without him here. As they go on day by day step by step figuring out how to live a life without him. Pray for peace and comfort for everyone!
Uncle Dee would say get back up on the saddle and keep going. Cowboy Up. Love God. Keep going.
I will miss you Uncle Dee and I hope I can make you proud! I hope I can have but just a bit of the courage you had and show love like you did! You will never be forgotten!
-Holly
