Uncle Mark

This past spring my family said goodbye to Uncle Mark, my dad's brother.  He'd endured cancer since 2010 and served as a model to all how to smile through suffering.  His last months were spent in a Hospice house in Raleigh, and Whitley and I were able to visit him there a few times before his passing on March 28.  I was proud of Whitley during these visits.  She was generous with hugs and kisses, and stroked Uncle Mark's hand with care and concern.  She amused the nurses, too, by visiting them at their stations just to chat.  Uncle Mark seemed to enjoy our company, and everyone who worked there complimented him on his kind heart and cheerful disposition.  A Memorial Service was held in his honor on Sunday, April 7 at 3:00, and it was truly the nicest service of its kind I've ever attended.  The weather was perfect while his ashes were interred in a beautiful memorial garden in the courtyard of his church.  The service itself was lead by Mark's dear friend who expressed his own sadness at Uncle Mark's departure, while still celebrating the joys of his life.  Then other members of the congregation spoke about how Mark touched their own lives.  It was very heartwarming to see how loved Mark was by his church community, and then have that care extended to us, his family.  They treated us to a southern meal after the service, and it was a nice time to visit and reminisce with relatives.  Some of my favorite memories of Uncle Mark are his playing my piano when I was younger (I was genuinely amazed by his talent!), helping him turn the basement of his house in Raleigh into a haunted house for his sons' Halloween party, watching him dance at my wedding (He said he only danced out of joy, and my wedding was a truly joyful event.  He was an excellent dancer!), when he held Whitley for the first time and said, in reference to her beauty, that "The bar has been raised," and everyone playing flip cup at my house on Christmas Eve in 2010.  Uncle Mark, you are certainly missed and loved by many, but hopefully, you are dancing now.