an angel walked among us

two days ago, my uncle Art entered Heaven. i feel he was aptly named for he knew the art of beauty, the art of being humble, the art of kindness and seeing the good in everyone. he knew the art of compassion, the art of doing what's right, and the art of living as a fine example of what being human is all about. tomorrow he will be laid to rest, as they like to call it, aross from my mom. for years, I have gone to the cemetery to stop at my mother's grave and to browse about (if that's even a proper description, but i do like cemeteries, they're comforting to me in some way)and he already had his stone in place awaiting the end of the line day, or the jumping off date, or whatever you want to call it. i don't like to call it a death date because quite honestly, i don't believe we just stop when our bodies stop. i rather view it as pulling the cord on a city bus, a gentle ping-ping of a sound indicating that this is your stop and you want to get off. he's on the next phase of the journey. it saddens me that the world lost such a kind soul. there are so many who plod through life living seemingly miserable lives, but he saw joy, hope and love in everything. he never spoke a bad word about anyone (even my father, and if you knew stories about him, you'd wonder how he held his tongue about that man). he was a very good example of how one should treat others in this world, a person i strive to be, though i know i often fail. i am thankful i had such a fine role model and i am also thankful that i had the opportunity to visit him several times over the past month, and take note of odd little gestures of his, and memorize his little "oh well!' grin he'd give with a shrug of his shoulders. thankful that i was given the opportunity to tell him that i love him. after all, he was the best example of love i have known in this life, so it is fitting that i feel such happiness in being able to tell him of my love, and read some poetry aloud to him, and to make him laugh. he was a lovely man, and i am truly blessed to know that his blood is my blood. unlce Art...yes, his name suited him well; his life was the art of everything a person should strive to be in this lifetime. He was my dear uncle, a man I will always admire, and will greatly miss.