Friday, August 10th, 2001
I won’t usually use the same song twice, let alone in a row… but this is the pinnacle song of my life and I think it fits all too well for this update. This is more of an update in honor of one of my family members.
In my 20 years I have come across very few people who automatically put me at ease and make me feel instantly welcome. My dad’s cousin Dick is one of those very rare people. I have not known Dick for very long, except for the knowledge of him through my dad’s stories that he was part of. Unfortunately for myself, as well as my immediate family only really started to get to know Dick through the sad tidings of his mother’s (my grandma’s sister) passing, but from sad comes some good, this was my first actual introduction to Dick. I can sum up my initial thoughts about Dick in one phrase: “What a nice guy.” Even though he was facing a bleak period, he radiated with a great sense of welcome and graciousness. My early teenage shyness was left at the door of Dick’s home. Dick seemed to hang on every word that I said, being young I was very used to adults providing me with a false sense of interest, but not Dick; he’d ask questions about everything I did, he seemed to revel in details. Above all he made me feel like he cared about my significance in the world. I found this to be astounding, not only because had I known this man for only a couple of hours, but he could have been deep into a spiral of sadness about the passing of his mother, instead he used the time to get to know a part of his family he rarely sees. Even as I got older, every interaction I had with Dick showed that his care and interest in my life never faded.
I believe that this was a man who lacked a fagade.
Unfortunately, this would not be the world we live in without ironic pain. Dick is irreversibly sick… too many sad details to go through and doing so would detract from my intent… soon, the very few I spoke of earlier, will be missing another from their ranks. Let us not make this a piece to cry over, rather, this is a piece to stand up and praise a man and his life, a legacy I will hold to myself to match… I would be happy if I wave good-bye with one person feeling the same about me as I do about Dick. Yes, I will miss Dick’s physical presence on in this world, but I will not miss his essence, for it will become part of me, driving me to add to the count of the few.
Thank you Dick for your brief, meaningful intertwining of our lives.
Tags: Cousin Dick
