Day Fifteen - Jan 15, 2019

Today we celebrated the life of my uncle... I had the honor of speaking, but could not finish because of such strong overwhelming emotions. My dear aunt helped me finish... 

I’m not sure my uncle ever knew the incredible impact he had on so many lives and in so many ways. And while he lived adventurously, he certainly lived with great humility. So many people attended to honor this dear and gentle man and shared such positive stories and memories of his friendship and life. 

I came away blessed to consider that such a humble and strong man was family to me. I came away praying that I may never take a day of living for granted, but rather choose to live it well and to the fullest. I came away today recognizing that people remember our hearts and how we lived, side by side, on both good days and bad days... in both mundane moments and exciting adventures. 

My uncle was not a man of very many words, but his life spoke volumes ... today we read those pages and we were blessed. 

“We wish we would have had the privilege of living closer so that we could have shared more memories together, particularly my brother, Tim ... although perhaps it may have been safer then the two of them together getting into mischief and adventures! Both Tim and Stefan share the same sense of humor and gregarious nature. Always willing to lend a hand and inviting another fellow to join something they are doing. 

Stefan’s love for the outdoors must run in the family - as many of his great nieces and nephews enjoy climbing, hiking, snowboarding and skiing. 

When you are separated by an ocean for your entire life, families can easily lose touch and not remain close. 

But I suppose it is not always the quantity of time that you spend with a person to develop a loving bond — but the quality of time. 

My daughter, Katya and I spent a beautiful holiday with Stefan and Andrea a few years back ... and then it was time to say goodbye. Maybe I knew in the train station that day would be my last hug from such a dear man... but we parted knowing that we were well and held deep care for one another. 

More recently, we have felt separated and somewhat helpless to help care and be physically present ... to express the love we all feel in tangible ways. 

And because we could not be physically present, we eventually realized that maybe there was something we could do. 

Perhaps we could turn and face the people with whom we live. Our neighbors, friends, co-workers, strangers... and care for them well. Care for them, in honor of the man we dearly loved. We could see someone else’s uncle, brother, son... and love them. 

And by the same token, we believed that somehow on the other side of the ocean, someone would take our place and care for and love our uncle on our behalf. 

And since I have arrived here a few days ago, I do see the care we hoped and believed he would receive. Each of you represents a dear gift to us as his family in America. 

And for this, we say thank you...

Thank you for caring for our aunt and uncle. For loving them, supporting them, helping them in ways that we cannot because of distance. 

Because I’d like to believe that somehow that is how Stefan lived his life as well. Caring for those around him in ways that were practical, tangible, and helpful. 

With love to my dear uncle ...”