Goodbye Uncle Jim...

My father called me this morning. My great-uncle Jim passed away last night. Uncle Jim was like a grandfather to me. My own grandfather (his brother) passed away when I was only 6 years old. He and my Uncle Jim ran the family farm together until Grandaddy's passing. Uncle Jim never had children... his wife was unable to carry children full-term, and this was before IVF... but he always desperately loved children, and thus loved us. When he found out we were expecting, he was so excited. Sometime after Thanksgiving, he fell and broke his shoulder, and had to go into the nursing home for rehab. He'd been there since, and had developed more problems there. However, every time someone would visit, he'd ask them if we'd had the baby yet. He couldn't WAIT to hold the baby... and Forrest and I couldn't wait for Shepherd to be held by Uncle Jim. Just by providence, mom and dad stopped by yesterday to visit Uncle Jim. They showed him pictures... and he loved them. He told my dad, "Well, you'll have to hold me up!" when my dad asked him what he meant, he said, "You'll have to hold me up so that I can hold that baby!" Then, last night, as he slept, Uncle Jim passed away. Whether or not he was waiting to see pictures of Shepherd, we'll never know. But my heart is broken. I loved Uncle Jim as a grandfather... I couldn't wait to see him hold my son... to have pictures of such a beautiful occasion... and now, to deal with his death, is almost too much. I look at Shepherd and cry, because I know that my Uncle was so looking forward to seeing him. I guess he did see him... and hopefully, that was enough.