September 16, 2002

This is my favorite picture of Jenn's husband, Greg. Wasn't he handsome? I printed 8x10s for Seth and the girls and framed them. His sister, Sandy, who was my best girl-friend at the time, took it. It was before Jenn and Greg got married. Before he began to die.

As you can see from my sister's last piece, today is the anniversary of his death. It has been 4 long, short years. In some ways it feels like an eternity that he has been gone. I was used to seeing him every single day. But because of seeing him every single day, it still feels like yesterday that we were hanging out at their house.

He was really my bestest friend. Jenn has always been close because she is my sister, but I never expected her husband to become my very best friend in the world. He and I could talk about anything Jenn and I could, sometimes more. He had a way of making us feel like everything was ok, even though we all new it wasn't.

Greg was dynamic! He was the kind of guy everybody could like and hang out with. He knew SO much stuff! If I wanted to know how something worked, he knew. He was seldom stumped. He was very close to his parents, who were 40 and 50 when he was born, and they taught him how to be an old fashioned man. A good man.

Well, they say only the good die young, and I believe that about Greg, (as well as Steve Irwin). I'm glad that he is done suffering. That was the absolutely worst part of all this, ofcourse, excepting the day he died.

Fours years ago, today, I was called home from work to be with Greg when he died. I was so used to him going to the hospital and coming home, that two days earlier, I promised him that when he got out of the hospital this time, he could come home with me and I would take care of him. I was shocked when I got the call.

From that moment on, it was like walking through fire. Somehow, through the torturing pain, I could feel the calming presence of God. I could "hear" that that day was "special" through the sound of the leaves blowing in the breeze, (I have psychic episodes). It almost felt like the day a baby is born, (Heaven is close by, and the gates are opening). I felt peace and pain. The moment he died, I knew, and I nearly fainted. I'm not sure, but I felt like my soul wanted to go, too.

All this from a brother-in-law? This is what I get a lot when I try to tell people how much Greg meant to me. I guess most folks don't love their in-laws that much, to hang out with them everyday, and truly become brothers and sisters. But this is what Greg was and is to me; my big brother, who will come for me on my "special" day.