Much To Be Thankful For

Much To Be Thankful For

When Uncle Buck Skyped me I was surprised.  Generally it’s me who starts the conversation to get the insight of wisdom from years of hard living, hard loving, hard working and straight shooting.  

Today it was Uncle Buck calling me.  He was smoking his pipe, clothed in his wash and wear Sears suit from the 1960’s cursing the ‘demon possessed laptop’ he was seeing me through.

“What’s wrong with ya boy” said Uncle Buck in a low growl, removing the pipe with his left hand as he hoisted his snifter full of Jack with the other (Uncle Buck also wanted to know why I hadn’t blogged in awhile).   I said “I’m fine Uncle Buck, just dealing with life.” Uncle Buck gave me the ‘eye’ and said “spare me the casual table talk and the parlor room politeness, now tell me what the hell is going on with you.”

“Remember Uncle Buck, you asked.  I have a list so don’t go to sleep on me sir.” Uncle Buck smiled and said “say on, I’m listening.”  “Mick is having a hard time recuperating from lung cancer surgery and lost everything to Hurricane Sandy.  

           His wife ‘Sunny’ still has nightmares over her cats drowning in their apartment and still sees their bodies floating out of the apartment door.  She’s on medication now.”

Uncle Buck took a puff of his pipe and said, “So, your helping your brother all you can and you feel guilty cause it’s not enough, at least to you…that right boy?”  “Something like that Uncle Buck, chainsaw busted and I couldn’t clear my neighbors yard before she had a heart attack and died.”  “RJ, you mean the Chinese lady round the corner from you?”  “Yes Sir.”

Uncle Buck grimaced and said a prayer for her.  Uncle Buck then returned to his interrogation.  “What else is bugging you RJ?”  I poured some liquor in my snifter and started to laugh when I thought about Veterans Day, about how it was trashed.  “The Veteran’s Day program at the ‘Game’ was totally stepped on and disrespected and I was ready to tear down everything and go home Uncle Buck.”

“I gather from your tone and the sentence that you did not do that RJ, why?"

I looked into my glass and said, “because my friends and others apologized for the fiasco but I still think I am often wasting my time.  I don’t believe people really give a fuck about Veteran’s, Veteran’s Day or what it is to actually be an American.”

 Uncle Buck put down his pipe and picked up his liquor, pointing at me saying “how do you expect civilians to appreciate anything or learn anything?  These people are only out for a good time, free food and cheap booze.  RJ you might be a dumb as you look.”  So I asked “so I shouldn’t feel as bad as I do?”  “RJ what you do is admirable but don’t expect civilians to appreciate it.”

Uncle Buck turned and spit, hitting the spittoon, now ringing in Delaware and in my office.  “What else is on your mind boy, said you had a list.”  “I have a friend who works at a tavern called Bronkos, her name is ‘G’.  She has to go and have a tumor removed from her lung and it might be cancer, I’m worried Uncle Buck, first Mick, Rick and now ‘G’.” It really bothers me.”

“Years of a fine theological education, audits at two Seminaries, a Masters Degree in Divinity and you don’t have the faith of a beggar do you RJ?” “Why are you goading me Unc’?” “Because you know how to pray, you know God and his Christ, you got many a bad kid saved and now you want to doubt?  Stop your silly assed pity party and go kick some spiritual and natural butt.  If you believe, they will too!  Hear me boy?”

“Yes Sir, I hear you.”  Uncle Buck had loaded up another bowl and fired up his pipe and then asked “what else is causing you to get so down.”  “Uncle Buck it’s coming up on ten years since Daddy died and it seems I haven’t been able to do as well as I thought I should.  I feel as if I’m failing at everything and sometimes I just want to sit in the dark and finish a bottle.”

Uncle Buck said, “there it is.  You think since you swore an oath, since you can wear the uniform, since you can preach the gospel you ought to be impervious to what we mere mortals call ‘life’.  

      You have overcome a lot holding on to God’s unchanging had so let me remind you of some things you managed to do.”

Uncle Buck went on a rant. “You saved a little girls life in Korea, you were decorated for catching somebody trying to sell secrets to the Russians, you worked for NASA as a subcontractor for IBM in support of the Shuttle Mission, you kept your family together after your Dad died and your looking after your Mother, my sister, who is losing her cotton picking mind.  

You saved your nephew from getting his ass killed in Hempstead trying to score some crank and you got your niece to figure out what to do with her life.”

Uncle Buck took a breath and a swig of his Jack, put his hand up so to stop me from speaking and he continued.  “Boy, Mick had to tell me you put up Ricky and his whole family because they had no heat or electricity and you lent your generator to your Brother Fatwad’s friend Billy who used it to support three families under his roof.  For someone who is a failure you are pretty damn good at making a way out of hardship…just like your Daddy did!”

I felt like a little kid getting scolded but Uncle Buck was right.  “Thanks Uncle Buck, I will get things squared away and help Mom, everybody’s coming to the house on Thanksgiving.”  Uncle Buck smiled and said “you got much to be thankful for and don’t let anybody forget it, hear me boy?”  “Yes Sir, I hear you.”

Uncle Buck said “before I leave you tell me how you did on that Solar PV course.” “I passed, got my certificate and I’m back in school again.  How are you Uncle Buck?”  

“Doing very well RJ, going down to the Republican Club meeting to console my ‘old Kracker’ friends about Romney’s loss and then I’ll scare them with some rumors about their socialist Muslim President.”

“You are having too much fun Uncle Buck.”  “Got to RJ…life is short.”

RJ