4-15-2010

I went to a funeral today.  I’ve known the man for 39 years, yet we were not close.  I know his brother well as he is my brother-in-law and his wife was my husband’s sister.

Today, I was reminded of integrity and honor.  Something not all young people today understand.  I was reminded of the times when a hand shake was your word and your word was your bond.

Not many of our younger generation understand these concepts.  It is not something that is taught in school much anymore.  And when it is, if it is not  practiced at home, it will not resonate.

There are places across our great nation that words like integrity and honor are taught and practiced at home.  These places also know what ‘family’ is really all about.  Where you have a mother, a father, sisters and brothers, aunts and uncles, neighbors and friends in your communities and churches and synagogue and mosques and your schools work to teach children the difference between right and wrong as well as truth and independent thinking.

I was reminded that here was a man who took responsibility for what he did and expected it of others. He was one of the unsung heroes who told it like it was with a strong voice and a guiding hand.

Today at the funeral, young people got up and talked about their Uncle Joe and how he helped them on their way into adulthood.  How he did not pull his punches when they were thinking wrong, but laid reality out for them and guided them on the right path. He helped them see things from other points of view.  He taught that you were not always right and not to be a cry-baby when things didn’t go as you thought it should.  And yet they remember he was always there in a crisis.  Always there to lend a hand or offer a solution to a problem.

He loved playing Pedro and socializing with young and old alike.  He devoted his life of service.  He served his country, he served his community, and he served his family.

What more could anyone expect of a person?  What more can we each expect from ourselves?

A loving wife of over 50 years is left behind to see the outpouring of love and respect for a husband who lived a life with integrity and honor.

God Speed To All.