Farewell Uncle Stevie

Digging through old Christmas pictures to find this one, I'm afraid it isn't the best, but, its okay.

Uncle Stevie passed away quietly on Saturday night, it'll be strange this Christmas without him, since I don't think either of us have missed my mother's turkey in 30 years... well, 29 anyways (I don't remember the first few that clearly.

Uncle Stevie was our great explorer uncle - sending postcards from crazy places like Ecuador, India and the Galapagos. He had an environmental streak -purchasing us each an acre of rainforest one christmas in the 1980's and always encouraging us to read nature magazines and scientific books.

He was awesome about sending mail - although deciphering his tiny handwriting was only slightly less challanging that reading Grandma's. I have stacks of letters and clippings that he's sent me over the years.

He had good stories. One of my best memories was an afternoon spent in a park in Toronto - listening to him tell me about his war stories. I also remember the excitement of looking at his photos whenever he came back from one of his trips.

I appreciate his many years of encouraging me as a poet, musician and artist. He was undeniably biased, but I kept writing all these years, and I'm not sure I wouldn't have completely given it up without that.

He will be missed - its too bad that I've so recently made it back to Ontario. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to take him out to lunch. There will be times, when his absense at the dinner table will be felt, when his goofy jokes will be missed, and we'll wonder what stories were lost forever with his passing - I hope they have good libraries and plays where he's gone, and an in tune piano. I thank him for all the moments of kindness, generousity and encouragement he added to my life. I wish him smooth sailing on his next travel to excotic places, and hope he knows that all of us will remember him fondly for the rest of our lives and tell stories about him to our children (if and when we ever have any). Farewell Uncle Stevie.

Love Jennith