That And Taxes

Doug died yesterday. The viewing is 10 a.m. on Saturday with the funeral at 11. I got notified late last night.

It’s not a text you ever want to get. Doug was my brother-in-law. Technically he was my lovely wife’s brother-in-law. But, he was never one to stand on technicalities.

He owned a diary farm in Idaho that he took over from his father. But, he retired years ago and one of his sons took over from him. He was one of the first people I met when I married into my lovely wife’s large family.

Doug was quite a few years older than I was. He was big, loud and opinionated. Or at least that’s the image he wanted to project. I never really knew if Doug believed everything he said, or if part of it was just to see what reaction he might get.

He mellowed as he aged. He told me one time,

I used to know a lot more about raising kids before my kids got older.

He was a rough man with a gentle heart. He was a bible scholar in farmer jeans. We visited his farm often. We went for weddings and funerals. Holidays and just normal days. There were funny stories (he was arrested on the way to a wedding) and tragic ones (his daughter died in a farming accident.)

And now he’s gone. It’s been coming for years. His health has not been good. I’m sad that I’ll never hear him tell stories again. But, I’m glad he’s out of pain. Doug was a man of great faith. I believe we’ll see each other again in a better place.

And, of course, actually, we all have to go at some point. We will each have to look back on our life at the end and realize, that good or bad, we’ve run the race. For my friend, Doug, it’s definitely been for the good.

Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren.

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