My Uncle Al died today

I never knew either of my grandfathers since they both died before I was born. But Uncle Al always had a grandfatherly way about him that he generously extended to this grandfatherless niece. His smile could warm the world and his quiet way spoke volumes on the simple pleasures that life has to offer. I was never a child to sit still, yet Uncle Al could always calm my frantic ways and patiently direct my focus to just one task instead of twenty.

There are two visits that stand out like polished pennies in my memory:

I remember my Dad and Uncle Al were going for a walk. I begged and pleaded to come along too. Finally, my Dad consented, saying, “All right Jeani, you can come, but you can’t be running all over the place and you have to keep up.” I nodded and promised while Uncle Al smiled and winked at me. A few blocks into the walk, I started getting fidgety ‘cause they were talking about grown-up stuff that I didn’t understand or care about. So I dropped back a bit. That’s when I noticed that my Dad and Uncle Al walked really differently. My Dad’s pace had a springy jauntiness to it while Uncle Al’s steps were long and languorous. I went back and forth imitating both of their strides, trying to get them just right. It was Uncle Al who caught me stepping comfortably in my dad’s footsteps. He again grinned that wonderful grin and said, “looks like she’s taking after you.”

The first time I ever went fishing was with Uncle Al. It was a day of sun sparkling off the water as birds serenaded us over head. I so wanted Uncle Al to see that I could be as quiet as him since, I was told, that was key to fishing. It took all my effort not to chatter on about the day and what I wanted to do when we got back and how excited I was. But about half an hour later, I had become so entranced by the gentle sway of the boat, the sound of the water brushing its sides and the smell of water mixed with smoke that it took me a few seconds to feel the tug on my line. Uncle Al noticed right away and helped me haul in my first catch. He laughed with my glee and didn’t seem to mind my chattiness the rest of the day.