The passing of my great uncle on Thanksgiving morning has me musing on families. Not wives, sons, daughters, mothers, and fathers. I've been thinking more about great grandparents, great uncles, etc.
Ordinarily, the "great" relatives leave this earthly existence before younger generations really have a chance to know them. It's the simple mathematics of average life spans. Many of us probably remember meeting a great relative in our early years. Meeting them is probably about all remember.
My Great Uncle Lec was just a few months shy of 100 when he passed away. To me, he was always the elderly relative who lived on the other side of town - or, after I moved, the relative in the other town.
Reflecting on his passing, I think I missed wonderful opportunities by failing to know him better. Opportunities to hear about life in the early 1900's. Opportunities to hear about relatives even more "great' than my great uncle.
It's not often we are given such an opportunity to learn history first hand. I regret letting it pass me by.
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