biiv, you are well spoken. Thank you for your understanding and compassion. You are right, every life has value and I do know that but was pleasantly shocked to see and hear his value to my sisters and to 2 nieces and 2 nephews. He could give more easily to a child as he was less threatened. And so those girls who are still young children, and the boys who are in their twenties are able to grieve the loss of an eccentric uncle who always did weird exciting things for them. I got to laugh as my older sis told some of the stories of their relationship over the years. He could be hysterical in his illness and wit.

I am blessed to have found rather quickly that indeed his life was whole and full and had meaning.

And by the way everyone, I have forgotten how to count I guess, trying to make all of my siblings and self younger. He was 50, almost 51 in March and my twin brothers are also 50, to be 51 next Jan. I don't know why that is important to me, just accuracy I guess. We be getting older.