My Uncle is my past

I have a special uncle...I had two wonderful uncles, but I lost one three years ago.  The one who died was my mother's brother and an absolutely amazing man I loved very much.  The one who's still with us is Dad's brother.   He's the only uncle I have left. This uncle's in the hospital now but he's doing well, thank God.  He sounded good when I called him just now but, when I hung up the phone, I got to thinking.
This uncle represents my Dad's family to me......I knew and adored my great grandparents and my grandparents, and he represents them and Dad, whom I lost 16 years ago..he IS that whole family now.  I'll call him Uncle Jim for anonymity sake, though it feels real weird to me!

This uncle really is a big part of my past.  His eyes are dark brown and I can see that whole side of the family in them.........his hands look like Grandpa's and he wears Grandpa's ring, too.  His height and build remind me of my fabulous father (you'd have thought the same thing about Dad if you'd known him).  His deep voice is that of the men on that side of the family.  I have always loved him with all my heart.

My sister called when she heard Uncle Jim was in the hospital.."I cried when Mom told me......though it sounds like he's going to be fine."  I told her "Ya, I misted up immediately, fine or not.....he means a lot."  He's Uncle Jim, our uncle, our Godfather, our confidante, our helper when needed.   With everyone gone, he IS Dad's family, and I can't let that go.  Not yet.

I lived with my great grandparents, grandparents, my parents and Uncle Jim before my folks and I made the big move two doors down!  How I loved that large old house of my grandparents.  I knew every nook and cranny, I knew every house in the neighborhood because Grandpa used to walk me around in my stroller...the firstborn, the baby queen in his eyes, even if I wasn't a KING :-)  We moved farther away when I was about five, I guess...... but we've always been a close family and saw each other often. Uncle Jim has always been an enormous part of my life.  My first corporate job was with his company.  I called him "JIM" then so's to ward off any nepotism accusations (as if I could).  I worked there for five years and then moved on but that company he'd helped found was important to us all, we have always been so proud of "JIM".

He got his law degree from USC and I think it must have been that graduation which I missed because I had the mumps.  Because I missed it, my handsome young uncle took me, probably about 8 yrs old, to a very snazzy restaurant to celebrate, just with ME, his young niece.  I still remember it.  When he was at boot camp in Arizona, he sent me my first watch for my birthday, in a cigar box!  I still remember that, too. Those things count to a kid, don't they.  He married my aunt, who's been great to us, too, and they have a super family, we're all pretty close.  This illness really got me to thinking about how much of my life he's been and, while I've always known family's very important, his being sick threw me.  To most people, a wonderful uncle's a wonderful uncle, to me, my Uncle Jim IS Dad's whole family now, rolled into one great guy.  I'm not ready to lose that yet.

It looks like Uncle Jim is going to be fine...the docs performed a procedure they feel will stop the problem he went in for, but I'll be praying and I'd appreciate a prayer from you all, too.........but, don't call him Uncle Jim, God might get confused.......call him "Z's Uncle", okay?  Thanks.
(and, by the way...do you have a special relative you'd like to share with us here?)  xx
geeeez