This by far has been the toughest winter break and Christmas holiday I've ever experienced. For those of you guys who I have spoken with, thanks for being there for me and hearing me out at a time like this.
My uncle, Martin Low, passed away this past Christmas Eve from a massive heart attack. None of us saw this coming and were quite shocked when we got the call. Martin left behind his wife and two daughters who are the same age as myself and my younger sister. You can imagine the toll it took on my family. Martin was the same age as my parents and he was gone in a blink of an eye.
It was amazing to see family rush to each other at a time like this. East Coast, West Coast, same town, or a couple states over... all my aunts, uncles, cousins and close family friends dropped everything they were doing on Christmas Eve to either rush to the ER where my aunt and two cousins were, or to the nearest airport in this ridiculous snowstorm to get to Chicago as soon as possible. In such a sad state, it was such a blessing to see how strong love really is, especially on Christmas Eve.
Although the past few days have definitely been an emotional roller coaster, it made me take inventory of the things I value most. My family here at home, and my other family in my other home. My best friends, girlfriend, big brothers/sisters, little brother/sisters. I know I said I want to overflow more next year, and I want to add to my resolution that I learn to love more. You never know when something can disappear, and should try to cherish it as much as possible.
For my own sake, I'm leaving what I wrote into the guestbook for my Uncle here. Just a little something to remember him by for myself. I hope you like it. :)
"I do not know how I have managed to remember something like this but I do. When my family and I still used to live in Illinois, our neighborhood was next to Alyssa, Alex, Auntie Jane, and Uncle Martin's. There was this occasion where I was angry with the babysitter so I decided to run away. I hopped on my bike and jetted straight for the Low house because even if Alyssa and Alex weren't there and I had no one to play with, Uncle Martin would be.
Uncle Martin's comic involvement in my social life reached an all time high when my mom and Hilary were staying in Chicago. At that time, he had just learned how to text message. Whether I was talking on the phone with my mom, or it was just my mom sharing what was going on in my life, I was one of Martin's texting guinea pigs. If my mom and I were having an argument or debate, he would text "Listen to your mother!" while I was on the phone with her or on more poorly timed occasions he would text to ask me about a girl and inquire the date of the wedding when the aforementioned girl was in possession of my cell phone and intercepted the text.
With an exception for my dad, my family has a knack for crashing on the Low household. Hilary and my mom lived there for nearly a year, and I spent three summers there. THREE SUMMERS! I'm really surprised Uncle Martin didn't get sick of me. If I was him, I definitely would have gotten sick of me. Instead he would joke that he was lucky because he would have all the perks of having a son with little to no hassle. He didn't have to worry about my schooling, and whenever he saw me talking or hanging out with a girl, he would never have to give me one of those father/son, man to man talks. I will sorely miss Uncle Martin and his comic insight in to my life."
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