Sorry gone so long

Dear all: Have been away from the list for many days now...sorry to be
so late in catching up...my father in law died early last week
unexpectedly. He was one of those people who brought immeasurable joy to
everyone who knew him and his passing has left a large hole in our
family's life, as well as our community. Over 350 people attended his
visitation and our church was packed to standing room only for the
funeral. We even ran out of food at the reception. It was an incredible
experience to see everyone laughing and sharing their stories about
him...it was a true celebration of his life and was exactly the way he
would have wanted it. I thought I would share a story with you to honor
him:


When he was nine years old, Jerry wandered into a neighbors farmyard and
was playing with dynamite caps. Unfortunately, the cap exploded in his
hand and three of his fingers were blown off. Forever afterward, he was
called "Stub" (or "Stud" to hear him tell it!) Anyway, a few years ago,
my father in law contracted the deadly necrotizing fascitis (flesh
eating bacteria). The doctors called us all to the hospital because they
thought the likelihood that he would not live through the surgery was
very high. We were all standing around, listening to the surgeon talk
about how he would probably have to amputate Jerry's arm (the one with
the missing fingers) at the shoulder. Sick as he was, my father in law
looked at the surgeon and said, "Then I guess they'll just have to call
me Stubbier, won't they?" We all cracked up laughing, much to the
extreme puzzlement of the doctors and nurses, but that was just Jerry
being Jerry.


Thanks for "listening"...you are all such great pals and I know that my
life is richer for being a part of this group. Now...on the the 250+
messages waiting for me! It's good to be back.



Melody, IA (Z 5/4)

"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious."    
--Albert Einstein

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