Saying Goodbye

Today was a sad day for me. Physically I am feeling better and stronger, finally getting over the lung infection. But, I had a cousin who made his transition over the weekend. He was several years older than my younger brother and I, but when the families got together he always made sure to spend time with us.

When my brother Ricky and I were kids, my cousin Billy would give us stacks of comic books.

We loved going to his house because he would Always give us a big sack of comics . Billy had been legally blind for as long as I can remember, but he could read comic book print. We would leave his house with Superman, Archie, Tom and Jerry, every comic book that was around he bought them and passed them on to us.

As Billy grew older it was apparent that he was very very smart. He was the first person in our family to graduate from college, then he got his master's and then his PhD. I really looked up to him. I guess in a way, I knew if Billy could be successful, then I could too. He was so inspiring, so encouraging.

The memorial today was bittersweet. There were great photos and memories of Billy and his parents and siblings who have already passed. But it was also a chance to see other cousins that I had not seen in a long time, a chance to relive some childhood memories. Billy had been ill for the past year, and had suffered greatly, but his wife told me that even this past week in the hospital his sense of humor never failed, he kept his nurses amused while he was in pain.

I know that tonight he no longer suffers, and I hope that where ever he is, his vision is 20/20 and he has a big stack of comic books!