Progress

One of the interesting things about moving is finding out how much stuff you have. My folks have graciously stored a lot of things in their basement over the many years since I graduated high school. I have been sorting through some of it, removing so far some eight crates of things and a few miscellaneous kitchen items.

I found papers I wrote in 8th grade (one treat was reading about modems, a technology that "may someday be common in people's homes," or something like that—that day has come and gone), unsent letters, my fifth grade report card, fourth grade standardized test scores...all sorts of things. I found a treasure trove of notes from my junior and senior years of college—an amazing assortment of classes and actual organization that I wouldn't have expected. Some old textbooks will be donated to the local library because of their utter uselessness.

Dad's Uncle W passed away on Monday; he was 92. Born on Christmas Eve, his parents wrapped him in swaddling clothes and presented him as a gift to his siblings. He was my grandfather's brother-in-law, having married his sister (my dad's aunt). She passed in 1994. Dad has always had a special place in his heart for him, and I suspect at least some of the reason will be more apparent at the funeral. I remember taking walks with him when he came to visit us, and him showing me how to make a flute of sorts out of a plastic straw.

His health had been in decline, and in any case he lived a full life. Our loss is heaven's gain.