"Today is the first day of the rest of your life." A dated, yet oddly contemporary statement of the cycle of life. Today is the first day of the rest of my life that I will wake up and never taste the food my Uncle Gene made us throughout his life. For as long as I roam this earth, I will never enjoy a party with my Uncle, and he certainly was the life, and the heart of any party. When Gene arrived, THEN the party started; when Gene arrived THEN the food was ready; Gene was always the Host, no matter the venue. We all loved him for that. Some of my fondest memories of summer include camping in their back yard in Waite Park, and eating his bar-b-que with family on the porch. Gene was a big man, and yet has such diverse interests. I remember on his last trip to Tampa, the only real item on his adjenda was to visit the Pablo Picasso Museum in St. Petersburg. Who knew he was a fan? Judy did. My Aunt Judy saw the good, kind, and soft side of Gene that only those very close to him saw. She saw the side that bragged about his children, but only when they were not present. Judy saw the side of Gene that could not stop bragging about his Grand-children, even when they were present. He would brag about all of his grandchildren, to any one who would listen. Gene believed in feeding people, but it was not just limited to physical nourishment. His work with those less fortunate, helping them learn skills to feed themselves and their families while also learning a skill was of great value to his community. Gene was always on the look-out for "extras" from your garden to bring to the center. He could always make "Stone Soup" and taught many men how to feed themselves, and their families with those concepts. Gene's faith carried him through his final days. When next you celebrate, remember those who are no longer with you in your life, I will add to my growing list my Uncle Gene, and I will smile at the thought. He would have wanted it that way.
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"Today is the first day of the rest of your life." A dated, yet oddly contemporary statement of the cycle of life. Today is the first day of the rest of my life that I will wake up and never taste the food my Uncle Gene made us throughout his life. For as long as I roam this earth, I will never enjoy a party with my Uncle, and he certainly was the life, and the heart of any party. When Gene arrived, THEN the party started; when Gene arrived THEN the food was ready; Gene was always the Host, no matter the venue. We all loved him for that. Some of my fondest memories of summer include camping in their back yard in Waite Park, and eating his bar-b-que with family on the porch. Gene was a big man, and yet has such diverse interests. I remember on his last trip to Tampa, the only real item on his adjenda was to visit the Pablo Picasso Museum in St. Petersburg. Who knew he was a fan? Judy did. My Aunt Judy saw the good, kind, and soft side of Gene that only those very close to him saw. She saw the side that bragged about his children, but only when they were not present. Judy saw the side of Gene that could not stop bragging about his Grand-children, even when they were present. He would brag about all of his grandchildren, to any one who would listen. Gene believed in feeding people, but it was not just limited to physical nourishment. His work with those less fortunate, helping them learn skills to feed themselves and their families while also learning a skill was of great value to his community. Gene was always on the look-out for "extras" from your garden to bring to the center. He could always make "Stone Soup" and taught many men how to feed themselves, and their families with those concepts. Gene's faith carried him through his final days.
When next you celebrate, remember those who are no longer with you in your life, I will add to my growing list my Uncle Gene, and I will smile at the thought. He would have wanted it that way.
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