To a better place...

My Uncle John passed away early this morning. He was my mother's older brother.

After Mom died I was so fortunate to be able to not just maintain a relationship with my aunt and uncle, but to develop a relationship with real depth and feeling. My mother loved her brother, but her resentment of having to depend on him tainted a relationship that was never very strong. Both shared the traditional British "stiff upper lip"; neither were very affectionate or comfortable with emotion. After she died, I stopped being locked in to all her bad feelings for her brother. I began to truly see my aunt and uncle as family: independent people who cared about me and who had always been a part of my life. We became closer than ever before, and it has benefitted all of us.

My uncle's Truth is that he has gone to a better place and will come back in the Resurrection. I don't know that I can agree with that, but I respect it.

Uncle John, I loved you and I'll miss you.

http://www.legacy.com/northjersey/DeathNotices.asp?Page=Lifestory&PersonId=121537105