He was graced with two sons, but if you asked Jennie she would tell you she had three, the third being me,

depending on what was going on. It is my two brothers that put me in this awkward position today, I love you Tony and Jon without the H, and I know you feel the emptiness that I do.

I know you are in pain.

But this should be more than offset, but the joy that he brought and the things that he taught should more than fill the gap.

On the other hand I know he is looking at me and watching me squirm, Oh the price of love.

 

As we look around the room we see the heart of him, in the painting Christ crucified we see the suffering and torment of Jesus. What could be more tragic than this, could this be done without heart and soul? No, no I say to you for I feel the pain in my heart.

Look at the family portrait and you will see that he loved his family dearly, now look at the picture of the war, these show the suffering and desperation that took place.

My wife and I spent a day with him a month ago, and we had a long talk, on our relationship, on our lives, and he said goodbye, this was not sad for he was ready, not resigned, but ready for a new experience, he made many jokes that are to hard to repeat now but I will cherish them always.

He left us a heritage that most of us can't, or won't; in that we have his work.

Is this not a form of eternity?

I say yes for I have only to look at a painting and see his soul.

There is something that most people do not know, that is, he did not sell much of his work,

There were many offers.

He once anguished over a painting he traded for a car, and spent years trying to get it back, without success.

I pushed him to know why.

When he answered, he told me that it was a graven mistake,

And I quote 'that was a piece of my soul'. (I have always wanted to see that painting.)

How we finish the race tells us a lot about we pace ourselves during the race.

Last month I asked him if he had pondered what he would be doing in the next life,

And after a very long thought, and a wily smile, said you know that is something I have thought about lately,

And when I do I always come back to the same answer, the same thing, without the pain (the war).