UNCLE ORSON

My dad has a younger brother named Orson who was my favorite uncle all my growing up years (no offense meant to other uncles -- he was just around more and we got along).  He wasn’t too good to play with the little kids and he always had kind words to share and encourage me when things weren’t going well.  In some ways he was the older brother I never had (being the eldest) and I appreciated the way he treated me and helped me.

As I got older, there were many things I tried because of Uncle Orson.  He was a business major in school so I decided to give that a whirl.  I even went to work with him and my dad when I graduated from college for a while.  But maybe most of all, I have always appreciated the good example Uncle Orson showed in how to love and care for a family.  Oh, he had his struggles with his kids (like most of us do) but he always loved them and made them the focus of his efforts in life.

Uncle Orson, Dad, and Uncle Lewis

Last weekend we received a call from Uncle Orson’s wife, Aunt Leslie, telling us that he had coronary arrest and was not doing well.  It’s hard for me to believe that he is old enough to have any serious problems like that but I guess part of the issue is a congenital heart defect.  Anyway, we went up to see him and found him in the ICU of the local hospital.  It was an odd experience because he usually is more animated – of course, all those tubes and things might have limited his responses (I’m being silly because he was in an induced coma). 

We used to go visit Uncle Orson and his family fairly often when all our kids were around more but lately we have been slack in our trips.  I realized that we do miss those times we had together and wish we had been better.  But the thing now is to make sure we do better.

We hope and pray for our ‘favorite Uncle’ to recover and return to his family unchanged but we also trust the God will help us with whatever circumstances result in this experience.  I do miss talking to my uncle and hope he can come back and be a part of our lives again.

Merry Christmas to you, Uncle Orson, and to all your family.   God bless you to be with us for a very long time.