Some of you will laugh at this. Some of you may roll your eyes.

In August I wrote a long (don’t ask me how long) post about my dog within a week of his death. That was five months ago. And though we lost Brett’s Grandpa only a few days later, I can’t seem to find the words.

Both experiences were painful. But writing about a dog is significantly easier than writing about a person. Especially when that person was particularly private and humble about his life. Especially his achievements.

So… here we are, five months later. I didn’t want to do any more writing until I could sum up our feelings about our loss of such a wonderful man. A man who put his family above all else. A man who led a company to success. A teenager who went off to war to fight for a country he loved, amidst great uncertainty. And after returning poured his heart and soul into a community he loved. He was a man who honored his parents and taught the same values to his own children. And most recently, he was a man who spent much of his last few years making sure his family was prepared for his eventual departure from this earth.

And yet… the departure was still unexpected. After being fooled, for a week or so, into thinking we’d have more time with him, our Father called him home. And I know without a doubt that my sweet little lab was waiting to go to the farm with him when he crossed through those pearly gates.

Not a day has gone by when we don’t laugh over the memories, or feel a little lost without his advice…