A day for memories and not much work!

So 76 years ago in Veblen SD Dave came into this world.  In so many ways he was a man's man.  If you were in some way afraid of the truth you need not talk to Dave because he stood on the truth!  He was a man of many faces.  Here he has that bush man look but underneath it was a baby face to the day he left the earth.  If he were here you could ask him about those 100s of animals he talked about in his classroom OR you could ask him WHY did he wear a pick shirt every Friday?  If you wanted advice on woodworking he was the answer man.  If you wanted to know about restoring a pickup or car he could answer you.  How about a tune, he probably could play it for you.  AND perhaps more than anything he could give you an answer to your question with the answer coming right out of the Bible!  One could ask WHY did God take him home before he turned 76?  Well that is a question that only God can answer but I swear that before he left his earthly home he influenced many people and he did much good.  He left behind a legacy that one would not want to try and match.
I shed tears today not for Dave as I know where he is and he will have eternal life.  I shed tears because I will miss him so and my world is quite empty, at this time, because he is not part of it.  So today I think about:

• The guitar he crafted for me.  He said he felt sorry that he kind of left me holding the bag as he went off to work near Kulm in the summer of 1959.  He wanted to earn money and he and Dad off were like oil and water!  I promise you I never felt like he said.  
• Today I think about the MANY rounds of golf we played while going to school in Fargo.
• Today I remember 100s of nights lying in bed trying to get to sleep.  The heat in the summer was stifling and the cold in the winter was freezing but the conversation varied from girls, to our future, to farm life and everything in between.  I might add that many of those conversations took place in the summer as we were taking care of business in the three holer out back.  
• Today I remember the ball games with the corn crib as a back stop.
• Today I remember tag as we ran on the barn frame above the calf pens
• Today I remember the MANY times we forgot the water tank for the cows and it spilled over into the pen.  Always a cleanup job!
• Today I remember shooting sparrows in the barn at night.  When I think about that I am sure many of those shots just went right through the roof of the barn!
• Today I think about the bike rides to the lake.  Dave on the the big bike and I on the small bike. 
• Today I think about catching fireflies by the bridge east of the lake and bringing them home in a jar to show Mom.
• Today I think about the 1 1/2 mile walk to Wood Lake School.  Throwing rocks, kicking stones and much more often got us to school just before the bell rang.
• Today I think about making bale hooks, making wooden guns, shooting gophers and more.
• I am not sure who was the best shot but I know Dave and I pretty much kept the cats fed in the summer with dead Blackbirds.
• AND so so so much more

So I kind of gave up work today.  It seems right just to relax and REMEMBER.  Yes, when a family member dies life does go on.  Memories never go away but the raw emotion of losing a loved one kind of heals with age.  Never completely but somewhat.  I am guessing that on June 29, 2021 the pain will be somewhat less but it will still be there.  To save the day today I believe that I am lucky to have good memories even if several family members are not here.