Harper House Rules

  We lost my Uncle Joe on Wednesday. It is a ridiculous statement really. He was only 56 years old. No major health problems that we knew of. Just out of nowhere, he is taken. Death isn't beautiful or romantic. It isn't like the movies. It is painful, tearful, emotionally draining and downright snotty. I have been rather lucky so far- I haven't experienced alot of loss in my life. Most of the people I love and am close to are still here. I am devastated to know that I will never have the chance to go visit him. I have been invited a zillion times over the last 10 years, and it just never seems to come together. We get busy. Too busy. We think we will do it later, next summer, next year....then suddenly, life throws a curve ball and all of your options are eliminated. Permanently.   Although losing him is hard for me, it is not even comparable with what my Grandmother is feeling. This is not the natural order of things. Parents are supposed to go first. No mother should hav

   I am certain that for a long time I took them for granted. They were always just "there", so it never occurred to me how valuable they were in my life. At least when I was younger it didn't. In the last two years I began  journey to learn about my heritage and became an avid genealogist. Not only have a learned alot about my roots, but I have learned alot about who I am in the process.   During the course of the research of my family tree, I realized just how valuable certain people have been in my life. Not just in the ways that they loved and cared for me. Also in the way that knowing so much about where they came from has helped me have a greater sense of self. My paternal grandparents were instrumental in raising me. I spent the majority of my childhood in their home. It wasn't until I started digging into my roots that I realized how precious this was.   What started off as a geneaoligical journey has turned into something deeper for me. I realize that I kno