The Duke

My dad's cousin Mike (some of you may know him as The Duke) died suddenly last week and the funeral was this morning. It was very unexpected and it is still kind of hard to process that he won't be around to say inappropriate things in church. Because if anyone was going to say something inappropriate, in church or any other place, it would be Mike. And we all loved him for it. You would roll your eyes and shake your head and then he'd laugh and you'd laugh and then he'd give you a hug that would crack your ribs and your face would be buried in his enormous beard and you couldn't help but love the guy.

So it's sad. But I have one of those families that even during sad times it's hard not to have fun. I come from a long line of loud, funny people who find it difficult to not crack a joke, even while crying. Maybe especially while crying. The funeral service lasted about an hour and a half but the luncheon that followed lasted two. And anytime I would hear someone laugh I could pick them out as a member of my extended family and I couldn't help but feel blessed that this is what I come from.