Hard to believe it's been two weeks since my brother-in-law passed. Feels both like it was both yesterday and ages ago.
Death is no respector of age, race, or condition.
Cary experienced the ultimate healing on August 4, 2017 as he passed from this life to the next.
We, alongside my sister, his boys, family, and friends, laid him to rest last Saturday. The outpouring of love my sister had received had been overwhelming at times but graciously beautiful. Many of you know that Cary suffered for years. He had a Total pancreatectomy in 2009 in an expected attempt to extend his life 2-4 years. Without it, he likely wouldn't of lasted long.
At the time, his boys were young: ages 1 and 4.
When he was first diagnosed, we knew it was going to be fatal. The news was heart wrenching but he endured for almost 8 years.
We give thanks to the Lord for allowing Cary to pass in peace.
To say the last week has been rough, is a complete understatement. Emotionally, we'll be raw for some time: more so my sister and nephews. Pray for peace and for comfort.
Preparing for his funeral, I put together a Memorial slide show for my sister. What I learned from that is that the Lord answered Cary's prayers. He'd asked to live long enough so his boys would know him. Oh they knew him alright! They knew his funny quirks and shared many memories.
Pictures are a bit sparse as the boys aged but it had more to do with Cary's illness progressing and the fact that he was more homebound in the last few years.
Cary was rambunctious and I told my sister I expected him to walk right into a heaven never becoming bed-bound. He almost did.
At his funeral, we joked that we expected him to pop up and let us know what wasn't being done right! Cause that's the sort of personality my brother-in-law had!
He'd once sent a letter to Wendy's corporate because he'd been charged $.25 for croutons and they were supposed to be free! He gave me a gift card for Christmas once and it had a strange amount. It was because he's subtracted the amount of the cost of the gift card (it costs because it had sound). He'd also given me a nut cookie jar and a cucuy Indian garden statute!
He took us to England when my sister and e first got married. It was he craziest trip we'd ever gone on because of his intense itinerary. But we all agreed we got more than our money's worth. He should've been a tour guide, he woulda been good at it.
I joked with my husband that Cary would decide to depart so close to my 40th birthday! I don't seriously believe he did it to steal my birthday thunder but I honestly wouldn't be surprised if he did! Lol...that's the relationship we had.
So I conceded the limelight to him (for good reason and not begrudgedly). Cary had been waiting for some time to pass. It was hard to watch as his body waste away, his physical limitations frustrating him.
Cary's always been a doer. He didn't sit on the sidelines and watch. He'd roll up his sleeves and join in the work...most especially if you gave him a clipboard! I joked that Cary was up in heaven organizing Sunday morning services, giving the apostles their seating assignments and letting the angels know their cue when to sing!
More importantly than any of that...he's walking the streets of gold and he's at eternal rest. No longer held by the limitations of his physical body. We can only imagine what his eyes are seeing.
We knew he was tired and in pain so the focus of our prayers shifted to how he'd transition from our world to the next. Our hope was that it would be peaceful and painless.
As loud and dramatic as Cary was, ironically he slipped from our world to the next as gently and quietly as a lamb.
One of the last conversations I had with him, we promised him that we'd look after my sister and his boys. I think he knew we meant it and time has proven our words to be true.
Cary - you can now Rest In Peace and high on that mountain. You're work on earth is done! We have your watch; keep on the sunny side!
Your sister
Laura
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