Uncle Brian

 

Tuesday night I got an email from my Grandma that was sent out to the family.  In it she let us know that my Uncle Brian, who was married to my mom’s sister Marla, was found deceased in his house.  The people where he kept his horse noticed he had not been there for a few days which was not like him as he usually was there every day.  They went to his house to check on him and called the police when he didn’t’ answer.  The police found him deceased sitting in his chair and had been there for approximately 4-5 days.  There were 5 dogs and a bird in the house as well and one of the older dogs had passed away as well.  It breaks my heart that he was so alone when he died.  My aunt Marla passed away in 2013.  It gives me comfort know that she was on the other side to welcome him home. 

One of my worst fears is that something like that will happen to me.  I don’t want to be alone.   I worry that as my nieces and nephews grow up I will become less and less a part of their lives. 
Growing up I was always excited to go to Pocatello and see Marla and Brian and their horses.  In 1991, when I was 10, they moved from Pocatello to Tiger, OR and it wasn’t often that we got to see them.  When we did go see them they loved to take us to different places that they loved in Oregon.  After high school I saw them even less.  The last time I remember being in their house was when we were in Oregon for my friend John’s funeral and to be honest most of that is a blur in my mind.  They didn’t travel or come to family events (such as weddings ect) because of all their pets and sadly we grew apart.  I would send them Christmas cards every year and we would email from time to time but that was it.  The last time I was able to see my uncle Brian was at Marla’s funeral.  I am thankful for that.  I will always remember our family trips to their house and the time we did get to spend with them as kids.   

It gives me comfort that I know there is life after death and that we will see our loved ones again.  Until then I love you both and can only imagine how happy you both were to see each other again!