Sunday, February 12, 2012

21 Gun SALUTE

The passing of a great man.
Remember this photo from October of 2011? My incredible brother in law passed away in January after a 7 month battle with leukemia. He fought and he won the fight. He never gave up. In spite of the pain and the side effects and the set backs, his attitude was a winner and he kept his sense of humor. We respect him so much.

Arlie and Andy had time to think about what they wanted and they wanted a celebration of his life not a dour funeral. The luncheon was a good time to share memories, photos and hugs. Somehow holding a baby helps with the grief. The two babies there were truly passed around for lots of love.

1974 - we had some good times. Andy is fun loving, fast driving (until he had a family), quick to laugh, quick to diffuse a tense or too serious situation, generous, high flying (a pilot), and deeply spiritual.
A gift the Bjorns gave to us was a request for family photos dressed in orange. (the color for fighting leukemia) We had a great dinner gathering and with the help of our sign makers, a quick photo opportunity.

And the Utah group sent their photo too. HUGS and love from all of us!

Even better, Andy got to spend his last week with his family, children and grandchildren. No more masks and gloves. To hear children's sweet voices and laughter makes the soul delight. To have children and spouses gathered around telling stories and sharing tender moments give sustenance to the soul and create treasured memories.Andy, we will miss you, but you are not gone. We will be re-united again. Until then, we'll keep tabs on Arlie, give her lots of hugs and share a laugh or two. God speed.

1 comment:

Bingy's blog said...

Beautiful!!!! I loved every word!