Comfort Amongst Sadness

     I have always stated that this blog will be uplifting and never negative. This blog post is dedicated to my Uncle Rick Noorda. My grandma on my dad's side was married to a man named Bert Noorda. They had one son born, and when my grandma was pregnant with my uncle, Bert went to fight in WWII, and he was tragically killed in battle. He was a hero who saved many other lives by giving his own. A couple of months later, my grandma gave birth to my Uncle Rick, so he never knew his biological father.

    However, my grandma married a shoe salesman, my biological grandpa Unck. Together, they had five boys. My poor grandma raised seven boys, and zero girls, lol. I've heard a lot of great stories about my grandpa Unck from my dad, and other family members that knew him. He unfortunately passed away from heart failure while my dad was in college. I heard that he had a great sense of humor, and I like to think I inherited some of that. 

    Anywho, my Uncle Rick went on an LDS mission to The Netherlands, where the Unck name comes from, actually, lol. He worked at Hill Airforce Base, and was married to my Aunt Linda, who is pretty awesome herself. Their kids, my cousins Jennifer, Stewart, Matt, Jed and Emily, and they are also amazing people. In fact, while growing up, every single Sunday, we went up to my grandma's house with everyone else. One of my favorite things from my childhood, teenage years and adult life that is still one of my favorite things is, my uncle and my parents would tell us we weren't allowed to watch The Simpsons. In 1990, The Simpsons was considered brash and evil because it was a cartoon, but had very minor swear words and told the stories of a family that is dysfunctional. My cousins Stewart, Matt, Jed and I would always huddle around a tiny TV that my grandma had in her small dining room, and the four of us would always watch The Simpsons. All of them have awesome senses of humor. 

    When I was a junior in high school in 1998, my cousin Stewart finished his LDS mission, came home, and was soon diagnosed with a rare blood cancer that ultimately won. It was so hard for everyone in our family, but even though Uncle Rick and Aunt Linda were sad and hurting, they were also very kind and had faith that one day, they will see him again. 

    After my Uncle Rick passed last weekend, the thought of him being welcomed into spirit paradise by his father, Bert, Step-Dad (My Grandpa), and his son, my cousin Stewart really made my sorrow feel more thoughtful.

    I've mentioned on this blog a few times that we are who we are because of the millions of outside influences we like or not. Every one of you has played a part in my life, and without you, I might be a whole different person. We are all raised by different parents and have different families, educations, faiths and religious beliefs, entertainment we love. People who teach us things we never knew before, all of these tiny little building blocks make us who we are.

    My Uncle Rick was not only an amazing and kind person, parts of him are instilled inside me. I may not share a direct bloodline, but he was still my uncle, and I loved him, and still do. When we lose someone we love, or someone we are influenced by passes on, it's easy to think that you won't be seeing them anymore, or talking to them, but I also think it's a time to reflect on the person you are, the person still here, and realize that whoever it is you lose, they are never truly gone because parts of them live on in us, and their examples on us will be passed on to our kids, friends and loved ones. 

    I like to think that the kind parts of my soul come from my parents, and my uncles, especially Uncle Rick. He's going to be missed very much, but I'm so glad that parts of him live on in me, and I can pass those traits down to Elliot, and so on. 

    Anyway, I just wanted to share that thought. Maybe it will help you later on in your life sometime. Until those sad times, try to make the times you still have worth every ounce of life still left in you.

    I hope you are all well. The vaccine seems to be working, and it's nice to go out without a mask, but make sure you are properly vaxed. 

Also, do you know how hard it is for a person with the last name Unck to spell Uncle the right way. I bet I typed Unckle Rick fifteen times, lol.

    I'll be back soon with a new post, but be thoughtful, and let people you know and love that they are appreciated and loved by you.

Have a good night!