This is DH's uncle. He buried his wife yesterday. The second one. He had the great fortune to find 2 wonderful women to spend his life with. He also had to see cancer ravish both of them. I can't imagine burying one spouse, no less having to go through the whole experience all over again.
If Uncle Elbert's life would be seen in a timeline, I imagine he would tell you it would mostly post on the positive side. He is a tough character. Seen alot, experienced more. No one gets to the nineties and hasn't had the opportunity to see all different paths on that timeline.
He inseminated cows for a living. Imagine that. Quite the Storyteller, just like DH's dad was. For the Dille men, there wasn't a meal or a Story, they could pass without partaking. With their gruff voices and bushy eyebrows - they are quite a sight to behold. With his new straw hat on, he looked just like DH's dad - kinda of spooky.
There was also a Dille girl and she is still a firecracker. The grandkids say she looks exactly like her mother now. As I watched brother and sister sit there and really talk about nothing much - just being together. She has been a widow for many years and their default is to laugh and move on. It is the Dille way which has yet to be proven to have been passed on to the next generation. I hope so. I hope the faith they believe in, is what is keeps them going.
Would a timeline of my faith look a lot different than a timeline of my life? Obviously, since I started my faith life so late in life, the timeline is shorter but has as many bumps as the life one. I want to say that I think we have reached some kind of even keel of both timelines but I am not sure. I want to be, I am just not. I want the faith that I saw yesterday complete with tears of sadness knowing that I will come out on the other side, different but ok. Elbert and Catherine gave me that hope by example. My instinct is to hope I do the same someday for someone else. We'll see...
