Basketball with the Big Boys

This beautiful fountain was built by my Uncle last summer. We went over to Janelle's house for a visit just after new years.Here is Holly sitting on the swing next to the fish pond after she helped Janelle and Tanta Kat feed the fish. We decided to distract her with one of her favorite things, as she was desperately trying to go into the pond to swim with the fishies, she loves water.She is wearing a cute little outfit that she got from Janelle and the kids for Christmas. The pats were a little too big, so these are some other brown ones, but it is the top Janelle picked out.It also came with a little jacket that she was actually able to use the last week of our visit when the weather was in the 20's.Here she is with Daddy playing basket ball. She loves playing with, kicking, rolling and chasing after balls, throwing them into a hoop is icing on the cake.She had a lot of fun running around on the court while the guys played and shot some hoops, she would run after the ball and bring it back to them to make another shot.It was a little sad to see Janelle and the kids, they were in San Diego the week of Christmas, around 10 days or more, so we didn't see much of them, actually we only saw them twice during our trip.The time they were out of town, the kids had school and Janelle had work. It was hard, because originally this Christmas was going to be a big family affair with my uncle and other relatives all together.But after him passing away a few months earlier, Janelle thought it best to take the kids to California to visit with her Parent's and Sister's. It probably was for the best.Last time I was in Florida I remember Bob showing me around the house, showing off all the work they had done, and the big beautiful yard.Calling mom on Friday nights when they were playing cards I would hear about the work they were doing building the bench and fountain and fish pond.My uncle spent his last summer building it, and he put his heart into it. It was amazing, as he was in Chemo at the time. But he wanted to stay busy and productive.I miss him, but not like my mom. The past two years he and my mom got a lot closer and would see each other several times a week, have family dinners and weekly card games.When he died, he left a void, that right now can only be filled by putting his memory out of her mind. But I am sure us being there made it hard to do, as it was always around the Holidays that we would see him, in the past.Now that I am back home I don't think about it much, I feel like I did when he was away in UAE or Saudi, half way across the world, not seeing him for months, or sometimes years.But then something like this reminds me, that he won;t be making new stories, and I won't be hearing about new adventures, and I think back to all the visits and times he stayed with us.And it reminds me that he is gone. I think I am still in shock, and it has not truly sunk in yet, I don;t completely believe it yet. I think it is like that with family that is at a distance.When you see someone everyday there absence is devastating and you are forced to confront it, but when you don't it lingers with slow reminders and I think it takes much longer to accept.We enjoyed seeing Janelle and the kids, but it was with a great sadness, as it only reminded me of my uncle and of there great loss, a loss I couldn't even imaging beginning to get over.