This isn't an update persay. I just need an outlet to let out some emotions, and unfortunately, this is the only space I have. Maybe I ought to take Vince's advice and go for a blog account. You might want to read yesterday's update for something lighthearted. Otherwise, please bear with me. There will be a normal update tomorrow. I just want to talk about my greatuncle John for a while.
I just found out not too long before I started writing this that my greatuncle John passed away this morning at 8:45. I knew he's been sick for a couple of months now, but still, I was shocked and saddened. He had cancer really bad, and since the doctors couldn't do anything else for him, so my greataunt brought him home this morning so he could at least be comfortable.
Uncle John was a proud man and a man of many crafts. You should have seen him play the piano, just as good as any jazz musician. Never wanted to make money from that, I guess because he felt that there wasn't any money in it. Afterall, he had a family to take care of. He was once a police officer many decades ago, but his career ended after he was wounded by a bullet. The police department didn't even do much to help out the family (which includes three children) afterwards, and they even cut off his pension. Since then, uncle John tried different jobs, doing the best he can despite getting little praise for it. He was persistent and never gave up on life.
In recent years, I tried to help him and my greataunt Lou how to use a computer. You know, it could be frustrating to help total newbies to get on the net, but I think they adapted with ease. In turn, uncle John tried to teach me how to play the piano, his Baldwin piano (something that he wanted almost all his life, he got it a few years ago). I could play a few things by ear, but I didn't really know how to position my fingers. Like I said, he was pretty good at it, and I'm still a poser. He was a proud man, and you really couldn't tell him no. That's probably what I liked about him. He also defied convention. It's not everyday that you see an older, tall, black vegetarian. Uncle John defied everyone when people just wrote him off, and even when he found out about his health problems, he didn't give up. He never gave up, even today. He never let his illness be a crutch or a hinderance on his family and extended family.
I respect that. Sometimes we fought a bit on how to do things, and some days he was pretty stubborn, but that's just his nature. Like I said, uncle John was a proud man. I'm really going to miss him. I already had respect for him staying around despite all the struggles in life, but I also respected him because he was such a fighter. I'm going to miss him a lot.
Jeff Harris
The Bridge Creator/Webmaster
June 11, 2003
