Ernie

The man in this photo is Ernie. He was a truly wonderful man whose time with us was cut short 2 weeks ago by lung cancer. He was not my father, nor my uncle by blood, but 22 years after I met him, it doesn't matter, he was family. He made me feel like part of the family from the time I first attended a birthday supper at his, and his wife Margaret's home 22 years ago. He was a surrogate father-in-law to me, much like a grandfather to my children (in the photo with him), and in many ways like a father to Todd. This weekend we along with his children and their families will pay tribute to him and his life. It will certainly be bittersweet. The memories will be sweet, but the sting of loss is still very fresh. If more people were just a little more like Ernie each day, the world would be a much better place.