In Idaho

I am sitting in my parents' kitchen in Rigby, Idaho as I write this. My Uncle Roy, my dad's youngest brother, passed away three days ago from pancreatic cancer and I am in town for the funeral.

Roy was diagnosed about nine months ago and tried both homeopathic and more traditional treatments. He lost a lot of weight, was tired, and was in constant pain toward the end. Roy was an excellent person and did a lot to help me and my family more than once. I'm sad that he's gone but glad he doesn't have to suffer any more.

There's a viewing tomorrow night and the funeral is Tuesday morning in Malad. I'll head back down to Salt Lake Tuesday afternoon and fly out on a red eye at 8 p.m. I won't get in to Midway in Chicago until 8 a.m. so it will be a long night of multiple layovers and dragging myself through several airports. Oh well. The trip has already been really worth it. My dad and I stayed up until about one last night talking about Roy, about the family farm, about my mom's cancer, about retiring from work, and stuff like that. It seemed like he really needed to talk so I'm glad I'm one of the people he chose to talk to.

I'm also appreciative of Suzanne who, when I told her I felt I needed to come, told me to get busy buying a plane ticket. This is the second time in as many months that I've left her with all the girls by herself. She's a superwoman and I appreciate her support.

Anyway, my two in-town brothers and their families are coming over for a post-church meal and I'm looking forward to that. Steak and Grandma's pickles for all!