I just got back from breakfast with my uncle and a friend of ours. We used to do part time work for my uncle on Saturdays- light construction and maintenence work. I quit doing this about a year and 1/2 ago, and my uncle retired the contract in january to retire.

In the past year, our buddy lost his 22 yr old daughter to cystic fibrosis, and my uncle had to have his legs amupated at the knees due to poor circulation. I think its Chrone's disease, but I never asked the details.

You would have thought this would have been some sort of pity party, and rightfully so. Not that I dreaded going, but I was a bit nervous, as things have obviously had gone worse for them then the last time we saw eachother.

I am happy to report that it was not a pity party. My uncle is doing just fine in his "new legs" and is so happy to be alive, not in pain, and able to get about just fine with a cane. I was able to joke that "hey they made you 3 inches taller!". The trip for breakfast for him is 100 miles round trip, so that he is able to get around that good in his equipted van made me happy.

And our other buddy, although he looked rough, is surviving and is continuing on. The whole town showed up for his daughter's wake. The line was out the door and down the block with people there to pay their respects. This wonderful girl touched that many lives. Everyone who ever met her loved her, as she did them. This was a great comfort for him, his wife, and the rest of their family- that the whole town was there grieving with them, they were not alone in their grief. Some days are rougher than others for them. But they really try and have a lot of fun with their other children- they are a baseball fan family- they still go to a ton of games, grill out, they are still together.

I guess I wanted to get this out there to show you the resiliancy of people. Pain, obstacles, can be overcome, or at least held in check. You can carry on, have good days, see the importance of living every day. I thought I might come back from this breakfast depressed. Instead I am charged up and inspired by these guys.