A reason to stay strong

Last night I talked to my mom to tell her I was recovering nicely. She called back about 5 minutes later and I assumed she was calling because she forgot to tell me something. She wasn't. My uncle, my dad's younger brother, had just passed away.

My dad's family has been estranged for years. We would have brief reunions but then everyone would go back to their own lives. My uncle, for some reason, always seemed to like me and then, when I got married, my husband. He was a quiet man but if you asked him about his beagle his face would light up and he'd talk all about her antics. He came here once for Easter and Jakob went berserk like he usually does when men come into the house. I was going to put him in another room because he was so bad but my uncle sat down on the floor and talked quietly and calmly until Jakob realized he wasn't a threat. My uncle had a great love for animals, his own and the ones who came into his life.

When I made my big announcement about the NYC marathon a few months ago my aunt and uncle were one of the first people to offer their support. They made an incredibly generous donation and told me how proud they were that I was doing this to raise money for animals. I hadn't even started training and yet they put so much faith into my ability to get it done.

When I posted my pictures from NSAL my aunt emailed me to tell me that my uncle cried when he saw the picture of me holding the puppy. My uncle is characteristically stoic as expressing emotions was not encouraged in our family. That really touched me that he thought so much of me and what I was attempting to do.

On Wednesday, he emailed me for the first time ever. He sent me a picture that he found and told me how much he loved me and that he was proud to be my uncle. I thought it was very sweet and I wrote him back telling him I loved him too and that I was so appreciative of the faith he and my aunt had in me. 72 hours later he was gone.

When I called my aunt last night to tell her how sorry I was I asked her what I could do to help. She said, "Run that marathon as fast as you can for your uncle."

I'm not usually a spiritual person but I know he emailed me on that day for a reason. He believed in me. If I didn't have a reason to stay strong before I have a huge reason now. I will make sure that his pride in me was justified. I'm on the mend and I'll be back to running soon enough. With renewed purpose and dedication. I love you Uncle Wesley. Rest in peace.