Today

One year ago today the fabric of our family changed. The rip in the fabric is actually in the extended family, but the pull, the snag, the run was felt throughout the family and across the country.

Gary Mayer was a kind, generous, and giving man. On March 16, 2009 Uncle Gary gave the ultimate gift. He was shot and killed by a man who was waiting for Uncle Gary's daughter. That man then took Uncle Gary's jeep and went to Uncle Gary's house where he later hung himself.

The day was full of shock, disbelief, grief, fear, anger, confusion, sorrow, and many other human emotions. Many of us headed towards St. Louis before the killer had been located, some packing themselves.

During the week that followed we saw the best and worst of a large family, but one thing was consistent - nobody knew how to process this. As a result, we changed. Some, I believe changed for the better, others not so much. But we all changed, thus changing the family forever.

Today I wish we could all be together and put the insanity of the past year behind us. I wish we could take a day to pull together the way we did then and remember that we are a family and, through differences and hurts, we love each other.

Uncle Gary, we love you and miss you. Aunt Cindy, Mara, Kim, Amanda - we love you and pray you are walking strong. To the rest of the family - I pray we find a way back to each other. Those you love most are the ones who can hurt you the most. They are also the ones you need to reconcile with the most as family, even extended, is the foundation of who you are.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone