LES

Les died. There you have it. Got cancer and died

I was just reading from my “thanks” file, which I have not added to in months. Certainly not since Les died. So maybe it’s time.

Like his life, Les’ death was thoughtful and peaceful. He got diagnosed with glioblastoma, which is a death sentence, so he immediately went about setting his house in order. Quit driving. Made lists and schedules. Researched the options, and, when it appeared that treatments were not working, abandoned them. Assisted by Carol, he went to his death in his trademark style. Thoughtfully and peacefully. Steady Les.

Ya gotta be thankful for a brother like that. He always brought peace. He was always rational, always thoughtful. Always kind and considerate.

Not to say, of course, that he was perfect. He could be imperialistic at times. Toward his end he was heard to drop the f bomb, which he rarely ever did when his brain was functional. Guess he needed some intensifiers when his vocabulary was mostly gone.

But mostly he was good. Benign. Kinda saintly. The kind of guy who draws 300 people to his funeral. Steady Les.

Thanks be to God for the life and times of Les. Thanks be to God for the culture that produced such a guy (by which I mean the household of faith, ya goof). Thanks be to God for Les, like a little candle burning in the night.

And thanks be to you, Les, if you’re reading this, and even if you’re not. You really were a hell of a brother. One of a kind. A gift to all of us.