Thank You Sir Uncle!!

When I was a little girl, if you had asked me if I wanted to take a road trip with my dad to Connecticut, I would have enthusiastically said yes. I would have been excited about it, would have been bragging to all my friends, and would have been looking forward to it for weeks.




If you had asked me the same question when I was a teenager, I still would have gone...maybe not as enthusiastic about it, but I sitll would have gone.



You couldn't have PAID me to go when I was in college, or in my twenties. I would have laughed in your face, and called you crazy.



But, just yesterday, Friday, April 17, I returned from a weeklong trip with my dad. There's no way I could have said no. My great "Sir" Uncle Attis passed away on Thursday, April 9. He was a great man to whom my dad looked up to. They often spoke for hours on end, just talking about life, family, and the problems of the world. My dear sweet "sir" uncle took my dad under his wing, and advised him on many things. He listened to my dad, as did my dad to him. A lot of who my dad is today is because of Uncle Attis, and for that I'm very greatful.



Going into this trip, I was hopeful. Hopeful that we wouldn't get into WW3 (or 4 or 5 or 6); hopeful that we would have a decent time, and were both mature enough to know when to walk away and not annoy each other (as we're known to do). My dad and I haven't always gotten along. There have been days, weeks, and months, that we've gone without speaking to one another. Often times, it was over something trivial, and usually it was my mom who had to play "gobetween" in our ongoing feuds. We're both so senstivie and stubborn. Always walking on eggshells around each other because we don't want to say or do something to upset the other. It's frustrating really, so to say that I was going on this trip with my dad without reservation would have been a lie.



But, that's exactly what I did. I went on this trip, because I knew how much Uncle Attis meant to my dad, and I did not want him to make this trip on his own. Despite our arguements in the past, I felt that for one week, I could put it aside and just be there for my Daddy.



What a week it has been. From the time we left, the trip was wonderful. We laughed till we cried, and we cried till we laughed. Memories were made and I saw a very different side to my dad. I saw a man who has extreme will power and determination. I saw a man whit unconditional love for his family. I saw a man who has a heart of gold. Of course, I knew all of this from the get go, but this week, it was like God himself, took a cloth and polished my dad up like new...



My uncle's passing is indeed sad and heartbreaking, but I can't help wonder if "Sir" Uncle knew what he was doing when he passed...yes, we're all sad, yes, we all miss him. He left an unfillable hole in each of our hearts. But, if he hadn't passed, my dad and I wouldn't have taken this trip together. I wouldn't have bonded with Rah-knee (love you girlie!!), and I wouldn't have a new outlook on my family...yep, "Sir" Uncle knew exactly what he was doing, and for that, I'm very thankful...