Having to say goobye

Today I attended my uncle's funeral. He was the kindest, most caring and most willing soul I have ever known. He was a great father and grandfather, uncle and friend and will be sorely missed by all.

This is a little piece from his funeral letter: "At age 69, Billy went quietly to the place that Jesus prepared for him. The battle has been fought and he now wears the victor's crown with a smile. He has a new life with God, his Heavenly Father. His life was that of a child of the King, with a heart of gold and a hand that was always open to give and to help, taking little in return. We are comforted by the fact that he is safely in the arms of Jesus, where he will remain until the day that we meet again, there were Jesus has prepared a place for us all."

My uncle Billy was the second person I had to say goodbye to in 2012 due to cancer. Please pray for people with this awful, robbing illness. Although it saddens me to have had to say goodbye, I am rejoicing and happy, because I know, I believe that he is with God and shining down on his family. Please keep them in your prayers as well, for they will need the fortitude from the Lord.

One of my cousins made a little speech at the service and mentioned how all the nieces and nephews would visit him and my aunt at their game farm, many holidays being spent there, where we would all wreak havoc. I'm sure that we added to their grey hairs.

One of my fondest memories was when they started a camp, with tame cheetahs, that we were able to pet and play with. My holidays on the farm shaped my unceasing love for nature and animals and uncle Billy played a massive part in this.

Scarier memories included when I went to fetch eggs from the hens pen one winter morning, stuck my hand inside a nest and instead of an egg, felt something cold and slimy. At closer investigation, I saw that I had just touched a snake. I was with a cousin and told him to call my uncle, to tell that there's a snake in the pen. The cousin described it as a little snake. It turned out to be a Mozambican spitting cobra, over three metres long. I am lucky to be alive.

Its on the same farm that I fell from a lookout tower, 7 metres to the ground, and stood up with only a scratch on my arm and a thorn in my neck, and where we went fishing and my cousin ended up with a fishing hook through his arm, literally going through his elbow. Earlier that day, I ended up with a hook in my foot, but it wasn't hospital matters like my cousin's arm.

We all learned to drive in a red Hilux, some of us on the sly, like me! I drove it into an anthill. My uncle wasn't very happy.

But all these memories add to the story of my life and to my uncle I would like to say "Thank you." To God I want to say thank you for giving us all a piece of uncle Billy and giving us the chance to know such an amazing person.

I leave you with the bible verse that always gives me strength in difficult times.