Uncle Dan
This summer, I was sitting in a morning training session when my phone rang. It was Mom. I thought that was odd since she rarely calls me during the work day, but I shrugged it off. Then I noticed she left a voice mail. During a break I listened to it and it said, "Abby, this is Mom. Call me back when you can." Then I started to worry. No explanation of why she was calling, just a straight, to-the-point message that she needed to talk to me. Who was sick? What had happened? So even though my break was over, I stayed out in the lobby to call her back.
As it turns out, the news she had was of the good variety, not the bad. She told me that Uncle Greg decided the next generation should inherit some of Great Uncle Dan's estate. He had sent a check to each one of the 10 grandchildren. That was so thoughtful and completely unexpected. I had no idea what we would do with the money. I considered adding it to our emergency fund or applying it to the next item on our list of house improvements, but in the end, I decided I'd rather use it for something special.
Uncle Dan passed away in September 2013. Although we'd see him a few times a year on holidays or when we'd stop by his house after mass, I never felt like I knew him. When you are busy having fun with your cousins you don't think about stopping so you can talk to the adults. Or at least I didn't growing up. So before I decided what to do with the money, I started thinking about what I remembered about Uncle Dan. I remember that his faith was very important to him. He even redesigned his backyard to represent the stations of the cross. I remember he loved to bike. He biked across Kansas several times even as he was getting older. And I remember that he'd traveled all over the world doing service trips in developing countries.
Kyle and I have never really been out of the country. I guess that's not really true. Cozumel was a stop on our honeymoon cruise, but it's hard to really count that considering the limited time we were there. And while Kyle would be happy to never leave this country, I have always wanted to see how people live outside of the US. So I thought putting the money toward a service trip would be a fitting way to honor Dan's memory, and to make him a bigger part of our lives.
I decided this long ago, but it was all just a theory until a few weeks ago when I booked our volunteer vacation. So in a few months, we'll be leaving for the Dominican Republic! We will be working on sustainable projects while we are there, but we'll also get to spend time relaxing on the beach, hiking and getting to enjoy the local cuisine and people. I'd be lying if I said I weren't a little nervous, but more than anything, I'm excited for this new adventure that Kyle and I will be taking together. Good or bad, it will be an unforgettable experience that will shape us a people. I am so thankful to Uncle Dan and Uncle Greg for inspiring this journey, and I promise I'll let you know all about it when we get back.
As it turns out, the news she had was of the good variety, not the bad. She told me that Uncle Greg decided the next generation should inherit some of Great Uncle Dan's estate. He had sent a check to each one of the 10 grandchildren. That was so thoughtful and completely unexpected. I had no idea what we would do with the money. I considered adding it to our emergency fund or applying it to the next item on our list of house improvements, but in the end, I decided I'd rather use it for something special.
Uncle Dan passed away in September 2013. Although we'd see him a few times a year on holidays or when we'd stop by his house after mass, I never felt like I knew him. When you are busy having fun with your cousins you don't think about stopping so you can talk to the adults. Or at least I didn't growing up. So before I decided what to do with the money, I started thinking about what I remembered about Uncle Dan. I remember that his faith was very important to him. He even redesigned his backyard to represent the stations of the cross. I remember he loved to bike. He biked across Kansas several times even as he was getting older. And I remember that he'd traveled all over the world doing service trips in developing countries.
Kyle and I have never really been out of the country. I guess that's not really true. Cozumel was a stop on our honeymoon cruise, but it's hard to really count that considering the limited time we were there. And while Kyle would be happy to never leave this country, I have always wanted to see how people live outside of the US. So I thought putting the money toward a service trip would be a fitting way to honor Dan's memory, and to make him a bigger part of our lives.
I decided this long ago, but it was all just a theory until a few weeks ago when I booked our volunteer vacation. So in a few months, we'll be leaving for the Dominican Republic! We will be working on sustainable projects while we are there, but we'll also get to spend time relaxing on the beach, hiking and getting to enjoy the local cuisine and people. I'd be lying if I said I weren't a little nervous, but more than anything, I'm excited for this new adventure that Kyle and I will be taking together. Good or bad, it will be an unforgettable experience that will shape us a people. I am so thankful to Uncle Dan and Uncle Greg for inspiring this journey, and I promise I'll let you know all about it when we get back.
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