Thursday, January 8, 2015

Say Uncle


Happy 2015! I hope you are staying warm today. The sun is currently out here in the 'burg, and I think that has brought the temperature up a few degrees, but it's a cold one, sun or not. 
I'm praying for those who have to be out in the cold, like my hard working son, Andrew, who takes care of the cattle no matter the weather. I think he has had around 10 new baby calves born in the last couple sub-zero days. Brrrr….

There are a few birthdays we will be celebrating in January (ahem), and today was the birthday of my Uncle Bill. He died in 2001, and was a fun, funny, clever, talented, thoughtful man. In his later years, he remembered birthdays by sending hand-drawn cards, cleverly designed for his friends and family.

I wrote about Uncle Bill in a 2012 Hodgepodge blog post which asked about a favorite adult besides our parents. He was definitely a favorite of mine, and this is what I wrote about him:

Uncle Bill was in college when I was born. I was the first grandchild, and, of course, the cutest and smartest thing ever. Lol. Of course, I'm pretty sure I was his favorite as well.
He called me Sue-bo, and he started a tradition of giving me boxes of Cracker Jack to match my age for each birthday. He wrapped them up in clever ways, to disguise what was inside. Now Cracker Jack may not seem too exciting to most, but I looked forward to that special gift each year.
He played the guitar, and our song was "Froggie Went A-Courtin'." He would change the line that says, "I'll have to ask my Uncle Rat" to "I'll have to ask my Uncle Bill" when the froggie asks Miss Mouse to marry him. I didn't know for a long time that the song wasn't really written like that. :)

He taught me to play the guitar, and I still have the 12-string he gave me. He is playing it in the picture below, with Jonathan, age 3, who got a toy guitar for Christmas that year. When my kids were born, Uncle Bill became a great uncle. But I told him he had always been a great uncle. I miss him.

I found another photo that wasn't included in the first post, of Uncle Bill reading to Adam at Christmas, 1995. 
A great-uncle. A great uncle. I still miss you Uncle Bill. Happy Birthday in heaven.

3 comments:

Linda Kay said...

He sounds very special, Uncle Bill. I had an uncle who would not be one to write about, so really appreciate your fondness for this man. I loved Cracker Jacks, by the way...the peanuts and the little toy inside as well.

Cathy said...

Your Uncle Bill sounds like a wonderful man! You were definitely blessed.

Terri D said...

I had an Uncle Bill, but yours was a lot different from mine! What a blessing for you and your kids!!