Mysterious Ways...

We all have people in our lives who have really helped shaped us into the men and women we are today, right? For me, I have so many I cannot even count. However, I want to tell you a bit about two of my uncles - Rod and Don

Uncle Rod is my godfather. I think that is what led to our special relationship. He and my aunt (my mom's sister) had no children. They were young and fun and really adored my sister and me.

I have some great memories of my Uncle Rod. Everything from riding the kiddy roller coasters at Fiesta Texas, to him sewing the pearl back onto my American Girl doll dress that broke, and he even carried me on his shouldars from the family room to the kitchen for some popcorn because their cat was too scary to walk by. Uncle Rod was fantastic.

My parents, sister, aunt and uncle and I went to Las vegas when I was in 6th grade. It was a great November.

My Uncle Rod passed away that February at the age of 39 from pneumonia. It was devastating. I was devastated. This man who I looked up to so much, my godfather, was taken from me - why did God let this happen? He never got to see me grow up - it still makes me so sad just to think about his passing.

One year after he passed away, my aunt was buying wedding invitations for her second marriage, to a man named Don.

I could have cared less about this man. Who did he think he was coming in and marrying my aunt? She had already found the love of her life - how dare he? I was never ever ever going to call him my uncle.

Let me just say my bitterness and anger that did not last long.

My Uncle Don is one of the most amazing men in my life. He is so incredibly compassionate and giving, always willing to talk about his short comings in order to make people understand their own struggles - I could not imagine my life not having him in it.

That is where the mourning process got really complicated for me. When I was younger I felt like I had to choose between these two men. Like I could not love them both. Over the years I have really come to understand that I don't have to choose.

Uncle Rod had the beginning of my life.
And Uncle Don has the rest.

And that is how God intended it.

For some reason, it was Uncle Rod's time to go - and I will never know why. But I am content with that. I don't know what type of relationship Uncle Rod and I would have had as I got older - but I can now accept the fact that it was a relationship that was never supposed to happen.

God definitely works in mysterious ways - and I am thankful everyday for that.