And the extended family gets smaller

In the last week, two members of our extended family have passed away.

First, Steve lost his Uncle Bill last Monday. I can count on my hands how many times I actually met or interacted with Bill. He lived in ND, and as we live in TX, we didn't have a lot of chances to get better acquainted.

While I never had a real opportunity to knew him, it was easy to see the love he and Steve felt for each other. It was easy to tell he was greatly responsible for Steve's love of teasing and warped sense of humor.

Our Will, was actually named after Uncle Bill -- who was really a William. I had no good father figures from my childhood to name a boy after and Steve fought hard for William. I've never regretted it.

Our second loss this week, was my brother Jessy's father-in-law. Jessy and his wife have been married 20 years. Her father died of a heart attack while driving, which lead to a head-on collision with a friend of his -- who is also in the hospital.

While both of these deaths will more greatly impact other family members, I can not let them pass without acknowledgement.

My thoughts are with you all and your heart aches not alone.