I WEPT TODAY

I WEPT TODAY

I wept today for a man I did not know.  Mrs. Cranky’s Uncle died this week.  He was 79.  The funeral was today.  I did not know Uncle Sammy.  I met him one time two years ago for about two hours.  You do not get to know a man in two hours.

Uncle Sammy was really not Mrs. C’s uncle.  He was her mom’s cousin which made him her first cousin once removed, or her second cousin....it was one of those.  Apparently he was like an uncle and until he moved to Pennsylvania she and her clan saw Uncle Sammy often.  I did not know the man.

Uncle Sammy led a quiet life.  He worked at the family bakery, he served in the Army as a clerk, and he worked at a bank.  He loved to dance and married his dance partner the lovely Claudette.  He had a daughter and two grandchildren.  I did not know the man.

Uncle Sammy was small in stature, but he apparently had a huge heart.  Whenever Mrs. C or her relatives spoke of Uncle Sammy it was with a tone of respect, fondness and love.  I never heard a bad word about the man.  I did not know the man.

The funeral was packed with people whose lives were touched by Uncle Sammy.  There was much reminiscing. There was laughter.  There were many tears.  His daughter Giselle read an emotional tribute to her father which somehow covered his life and the people in his life all in about ten minutes.  I did not know the man.  I wept today.

Uncle Sammy led a quiet and unremarkable life.  I did not know the man. 

He must have been a very special person.

Why else would I weep for a man I did not know?