I was sitting here on Monday night at 7 PM waiting for
Jessy Lover to get here and give to me my Monday Night Football winner, when a phone call came in.
It was my wife?s Aunt telling her that her Uncle Leland had just passed away.
After the initial shock of realizing that Uncle Leland was no longer here, I began to think about his life and the times we had spent together. I met him through my wife when he was in his late 70s.
He always kept beer in a refrigerator on the porch and would insist I drink one with him even though I don?t care for beer much. We would sit out on the porch and he would smoke his cigarettes and tell me story?s about when he was a kid.
Sometimes we would go and bank fish close to his house.
He was a avid fisher of men. I cannot remember when I ever caught more fish or a bigger fish than Uncle Leland. He was a master at the craft of fishing.
We would talk about world issues and how things were in his day.
I never heard him say a mean word to anyone or for that matter show anger much.
One day I hadn?t caught anything all morning and I had to run up to the house to get some lunch for us. Aunt Rose would always fix us the same thing. Sandwich?s and cornbread and two budweisers.
I handed Uncle Leland my fishing pole and as I got across to the house I looked back and dag if Uncle Leland had hooked a fish with MY POLE! I could only stand there and watch as he reeled in this huge catfish. The biggest catfish I had ever seen. He laughed about that for years. He would say remember that time when I caught your fish with your pole?.and he would laugh and laugh.
This Christmas past Uncle Leland was not feeling well and doing poorly. We got him one of them Bass Fish that you hang on the wall and it sings when you push the button. He had not seen one before and when he opened it and pushed the button it sang the song " Take me to the River". He laughed harder than he had in a long time and I got tears in my eyes. It made me feel good to see him laugh.
Uncle Leland hung the fish next to his old easy chair in the living room. Whenever someone would come visit he would push the button, watch their expression and laugh.
We all dread the day when we get these calls. And we know its just a matter of time because we all do eventually. We are on borrowed time really from the day we are born.
I know that fletcher has this understanding ingrained in him and I think that is why he is willing to help others so much. It?s a admirable trait to have and if more followed it, we would live in a better world.
Uncle Leland lived a long life and he was probably ready to take it to the next level. Towards the end there were endless hospital stays, rides to the emergency room, and intensive care visits.
He would somehow pull out and hang on to be with his wife of 50 years.
So at 8 o?clock PM Jessy Lover finally comes in under the wire with the winning MNF pick. There were also many others on the same pick. This was my chance. Here it was right in front of me. Like picking cherry?s off a tree. Money baby , in the bank, easy winner!
I picked up the phone and started to dial the number. I had time. I could get the play in. Green Bay Packers and the -4. And what about the under, shouldn't I slam the under while I am at it.
But then in a brief second, I lost my appetite for the win. It struck me how superficial all this gambling stuff is.
I put the phone down. There were other things to think about.
The really important things in this life that you can count on one hand.
I am a pall bearer tomorrow at the funeral and I will be thinking about Uncle Leland when I help to carry his body to its final resting place.
The worst tears to shed are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone. / unknown
God Bless you all.
Scott-Atlanta
Jessy Lover to get here and give to me my Monday Night Football winner, when a phone call came in.
It was my wife?s Aunt telling her that her Uncle Leland had just passed away.
After the initial shock of realizing that Uncle Leland was no longer here, I began to think about his life and the times we had spent together. I met him through my wife when he was in his late 70s.
He always kept beer in a refrigerator on the porch and would insist I drink one with him even though I don?t care for beer much. We would sit out on the porch and he would smoke his cigarettes and tell me story?s about when he was a kid.
Sometimes we would go and bank fish close to his house.
He was a avid fisher of men. I cannot remember when I ever caught more fish or a bigger fish than Uncle Leland. He was a master at the craft of fishing.
We would talk about world issues and how things were in his day.
I never heard him say a mean word to anyone or for that matter show anger much.
One day I hadn?t caught anything all morning and I had to run up to the house to get some lunch for us. Aunt Rose would always fix us the same thing. Sandwich?s and cornbread and two budweisers.
I handed Uncle Leland my fishing pole and as I got across to the house I looked back and dag if Uncle Leland had hooked a fish with MY POLE! I could only stand there and watch as he reeled in this huge catfish. The biggest catfish I had ever seen. He laughed about that for years. He would say remember that time when I caught your fish with your pole?.and he would laugh and laugh.
This Christmas past Uncle Leland was not feeling well and doing poorly. We got him one of them Bass Fish that you hang on the wall and it sings when you push the button. He had not seen one before and when he opened it and pushed the button it sang the song " Take me to the River". He laughed harder than he had in a long time and I got tears in my eyes. It made me feel good to see him laugh.
Uncle Leland hung the fish next to his old easy chair in the living room. Whenever someone would come visit he would push the button, watch their expression and laugh.
We all dread the day when we get these calls. And we know its just a matter of time because we all do eventually. We are on borrowed time really from the day we are born.
I know that fletcher has this understanding ingrained in him and I think that is why he is willing to help others so much. It?s a admirable trait to have and if more followed it, we would live in a better world.
Uncle Leland lived a long life and he was probably ready to take it to the next level. Towards the end there were endless hospital stays, rides to the emergency room, and intensive care visits.
He would somehow pull out and hang on to be with his wife of 50 years.
So at 8 o?clock PM Jessy Lover finally comes in under the wire with the winning MNF pick. There were also many others on the same pick. This was my chance. Here it was right in front of me. Like picking cherry?s off a tree. Money baby , in the bank, easy winner!
I picked up the phone and started to dial the number. I had time. I could get the play in. Green Bay Packers and the -4. And what about the under, shouldn't I slam the under while I am at it.
But then in a brief second, I lost my appetite for the win. It struck me how superficial all this gambling stuff is.
I put the phone down. There were other things to think about.
The really important things in this life that you can count on one hand.
I am a pall bearer tomorrow at the funeral and I will be thinking about Uncle Leland when I help to carry his body to its final resting place.
The worst tears to shed are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone. / unknown
God Bless you all.
Scott-Atlanta
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