This month has been full of memories and reflection for me. At the end of all of this reflection, I'm happy for many reasons. First, here is what happened:
Since I was a baby, my family had been friends with the Kellam family. My dad worked with who I came to call Uncle Roy. Uncle Roy and Aunt Margaret loved all things outdoorsy. Therefore, our families would go camping and boating together quite often. My dad was always the one who wanted to be out and about, so when he'd get bored, we'd drive from Winter Park to Conway (a trip that back then felt like an eternity) to visit Uncle Roy. They'd sit and talk and maybe have a few beers and I'd entertain myself by eating kumquats off of the tree in the backyard, helping Aunt Margaret, or playing with their daughters. But I was never very far from my dad.
Well, after my dad died, my family lost touch with the Kellams. They tried very hard to stay in touch, but Mom found the memories of being with them without my dad too hard to face. So we didn't see them much any more. After years of trying to find them online, it dawned on me recently to look for the Kellam girls on Facebook. I found them. Sadly, it also brought the discovery that my Uncle Roy had passed away. It brought back many memories of campfires, Uncle Roy singing and playing the guitar, him calling me "Kimmer," and how happy he and my dad were when they were together. The only thing that made me happy was thinking that they were together in heaven, probably popping open some beer and looking down on us. Uncle Roy would have a guitar, and my dad would be tapping his foot.
The happy part of this story is that I learned something. Stay in contact with those you love, let them know that they're important to you and that you love them. You really don't know how long you'll have with them and finding out too late is awful. I wish I'd been able to go to Uncle Roy's funeral and share with his family and community how much he meant to me. And now our families are back in touch again. Mom, Carissa, and I made a trip up to Astor over the winter holidays to see Aunt Margaret and one of their daughters, Debbie. We shared a lot of memories and stories, and just laughed and enjoyed each other. And I got my dad's spaghetti sauce recipe by surprise - we hadn't seen it in 25 years as my dad always had it in his head. We had no idea he'd written it down for them! I've now made it several times. They also gave me a CD of Uncle Roy singing. It has over 200 songs on it. I love it! So for reconnecting with them, I can't be happier. I know Uncle Roy lives on in each of them.
