My Uncle Joe.

My Uncle Joe fought during WWI. He was in the trenches and he was gassed. Besides the gassing, I sure he came back with what is now called PTSD. He came back from war to live with his sister, my great aunt (GAN), and Fmom whom GAN was raising. I had overheard GAN say one time that Uncle Joe had so much promise before the war. Being very young at the time, I didn’t understand what they were talking about.

Uncle Joe was lucky in a sense that he came back to a large loving family that took care of him, and Lord help anybody that made a joke or said anything bad about him. Fmom told me the story of her and Uncle Joe in a local store one time. She heard the storeowner making a joke about Uncle Joe being slow. She was 9-years old, and she said she tore into this adult. She wouldn’t tell me what she said, but I’m sure she used some verbiage a 9-year old shouldn’t have. Uncle Joe came from the other side of the store and put his arm around her, and told her it was all right, and led her out of the store. Fmom said she was so mad she couldn’t stop crying, and it was Uncle Joe who finally soothed her enough to dry her tears.

I first got to know Uncle Joe when I was very small. When we would go to GAN’s house, and Uncle Joe would be there waiting for us. I can still see him sitting on the front porch in his rocking chair. Once we drove up, he would be like a rocket out of the chair to the car. He would do the usual hello and hand shake to my father and hug to my mother, but once that was done, he was all of ours. All of your relatives love you to a certain extent, but with Uncle Joe, his love for us was boundless. One of the reasons we loved Uncle Joe so much was because he took so much time with us. GAN was an old maid schoolteacher and didn’t take any gruff, but Uncle Joe no matter what we wanted to do, he was there with us.

I was still kind of young when Uncle Joe died, but I do remember it hit me hard. Today we only have an old blurred picture of him, and it’s hard for me to remember what he looked like. However, I’ve never forgotten his kindness and how I wish he could be around for each new generation of kids in our family. Uncle Joe was one of those people who make coming home and childhood so special. I think each family needs an Uncle Joe.