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Rate this Entry 5 : Excellent 4 : Good 3 : Average 2 : Bad 1 : Terrible My uncle al Posted 07-03-2009 at 11:37 PM by APACHEFIRE (these are my memories and my opinions) today my uncle albert was buried. Im not sure where, i just know its some place in saugus california. I wasnt able to attend since i had just flown in from a long trip to california, back to my home in tennessee. i remember my uncle albert with happy thoughts. The family all called him "al". Most of the time when i think of him, i see a smiling face with mischievous eyes. He always had something funny and clever to say. He was a trickster and very spontaneous. Everyone loved him. Whenever you first arrived in his home there were always warm friendly hugs and handshakes all around. Then the offering of food or drink. No one ever left my uncles home empty handed. Even if he only had candy or gum to give, he gave freely. But it wasnt until i was a young teen that i realize why his eyes were always watery and red, and why he always had a particular odor around him. My uncle al loved to drink beer. He seemed to always have a bottle of beer around and offered beer to any grown man that visited him. Its a hard thing to write this down about my uncle al. He was a favorite uncle and i loved him very much. I loved him for the way he treated me. He never raised his voice or hand to anyone. He was a very happy go lucky man....to my childhood memory. That is the way i will always remember my uncle al. As a very generous, kind and special man. He was special because he always treated me with a gentle kindness that my heart and spirit both felt. I wasnt just some baby or child to him. I was a human being, that deserved to be treated with love, care and protection. Even as a very young child i knew that, even though i may not have understood why at the time. In retrospect, i can understand my uncle had his reasons for drinking all the time. In my memory i still see the pain and sadness in his eyes, mixed with the tenderness and love. I know my uncle al had fought in wars while serving in the military, but i dont believe that was the sole reason why he drank. All i really know in my heart is that he drank to hide something, or from something. That something was really causing him a great deal of pain and that it hurt so much he couldnt face it, unless he was filled with alcohol. I wish i could go back in time to help him. That i could do for him what he did for me.i wonder now if anyone else knows the "what" or "why" my uncle drank so much. I know in my heart he wasnt "just a drunk....". And i know in my heart and spirit that my uncle is now filled with peace and "true" happiness. I had a very vivid dream last night. I was at my youngest brothers home where all of our family and my mothers relatives had come for a huge family gathering. In one part of my dream i was one of the last to sit at a large round table, to eat. I had just made a little roll sandwich and was reaching for some pickles. When i turned back to my plate, it was empty. I was a little confused until i turned to my right, where my uncle al was sitting next to me. He had the sandwich in his hands and was inspecting it....then he turned to me and said...."what?". "you arent going to miss this....". At that point i quickly grabbed his sandwich from his plate and took a bite! Then i said, "not anymore than you're going to miss this"! And everyone started laughing, including me and my uncle. It was just like him to do something like that in real life. Thats the uncle al that i will miss. That is the uncle al i will remember. That is how i know that my uncle al's spirit is happy and peaceful now. Goodbye my dear beloved uncle al. I will miss you, but i will forever keep your happy good memories deep in my heart. I'll love you always.... Comments 0 Trackbacks 0 Total Comments 0 Comments Total Trackbacks 0 Trackbacks No other blogs currently reference this blog entry Trackback Link Recent Blog Entries by APACHEFIRE Categories (07-09-2009) Our angels in dog heaven (07-05-2009) Weather complaints (07-05-2009) My uncle al (07-03-2009) One year gone (02-13-2009)