My Godfather’s Remarkable Life: A Story of Love and Sacrifice (Ken)

In today’s Advent reflection, I want to share a deeply personal story about my godfather, Uncle Eddie, whose life was a testament to sacrifice, love, and service. As we prepare our hearts during this sacred season of Advent, his story reminds us of the true meaning of this time: giving of ourselves and living a life with no regrets.

Transcript

It's good to see you welcome back today I'd like to share with you about someone who has been very important in my life I've never mentioned him before uh but it's my godfather his name is Uncle Eddie and he recently passed away at 90 years old in fact about 3 months ago according to the time of this recording and I think you'll find his life inspiring he was born in 19 1934 very different life in 1934 wasn't it and he grew up on a small little farm on the Eastern side of Saskatchewan and by the time he was 12 years old my grandpa couldn't look after the farm anymore my grandpa had a bad back and so we couldn't do the chores so at 12 years old my uncle finished up his grade eight and he went to work on the farm no very different life for a 12-year-old now than back then he wasn't playing video games he wasn't plugged into all the extracurricular activity at 12 years old he started working on the farm so what was his life well it meant waking up early in the morning and miling the cows it's how my Baba and my grandpa paid for the bills he also fed the chickens he fed the pigs they had some turkeys um they had some horses and then they had the the crops and the Grain and so when in the fall time would come he was part of the Harvest and he would shovel from the half ton all the grain into the augur that would move the grain up into the grain bins uh he did a lot of shoveling of grain that's something my grandpa had trouble doing because of his bad back and then in the winter they lived in a log house the exterior was covered with some plank and when you're in a Saskatchewan winter you got to heat that thing right and how do you heat it with wood so my uncle was part of gathering the wood splitting the wood keeping the fires going during the night see this is a very different life for a 12 13 14y old than now we we can't a 13-year-old can't imagine that and then my dad was born my dad was born a 12 he's 12 and a half years younger than my Uncle Eddie so quite a big spread so my dad's memory of his older brother is not my old his older brother going to school but working on the farm alongside my grandpa doing chores looking after the farm and so my dad had the chance to get an education he Elementary School the school was a little ways away in in the spring and also in the fall my dad would ride his bike to school but the winter was very different the snow would be too deep and it would be cold so my Uncle Eddie his older brother would connect a caboose which is an enclosed sleigh to a team of horses and he would drive my dad to school in the morning and in after school he would go pick him up so every day this is what my uncle would do we'd hook up a team of horses in the morning drive my dad in during the winter and come back and do the same pick them up in the afternoon this is a real disruption to the work day on the farm isn't it so need needless to say that my uncle served and sacrificed for my dad to get that education in elementary school and then also into junior high when when the roads got a little bit better they built them up and and instead of the horse and sleigh then he was able to drive and this was in the period of time in the early 1950s and this is prior to electricity coming into the area of that part of Saskatchewan and then for High School uh my dad would go to a town which is a little bit further away and at that point my uncle would drive him every day for his grade nine year and then after that the buses came but this was all pretty important because this allowed my dad to get a high a high school education and then go on to a to University and get an education there which is where he met my mom so in one way without my godfather sacrificing and serving on the farm and bringing my dad to school my I wouldn't be here so then what happens well my mom and dad they fall in love they're both they they were Educators um they raised seven kids I'm the oldest of seven and I have so many memories of of dad and mom packing up our seven kids and driving 7 to 8 hours back to that farm on the Eastern side of Saskatchewan to visit my uncle edti and my Baba and Grandpa and that's where my memories kick in I remember Uncle edti still working on that farm an eligible bachelor working alongside my grandpa who was getting older and my Baba and as the years went on my memories of him shift to him caring ing for my grandparents he lived with them in the house my grandpa passed away he cared for him and in my Uncle Eddie also cared for my my Baba my grandma for many years as her health declined as life a life of service towards them when my Baba was in the home and her health was declining he would go see her every day and it was at this point where he met another woman who was also going into the home to care for one one of her parents well when my Baba passed away he uh he married that woman at age 67 he's married at age 67 for the first time and uh fast forward to when he's 85 years old and his wife passes away now he's on that farm he's been married for 18 years has no children and his health is such that uh he can't look after himself or the farm it's not good for him to be out in Ry Saskatchewan so that's where my parents stepped into his life in a very big way and helped them make some decisions and they moved him from that Homestead where he had spent his whole life to our hometown that 7 hours on the other side of our Province and they found him a place to stay they found him healthc care and for the next three years they really cared for him in one way uh they cared for him in a way that he cared for my grandparents um and they sacrificed a lot for him over these last three years and it was beautiful for us because when we would go home to visit my mom and dad guess who was there Uncle Ley and see Uncle Ley was always the favorite uncle because he never had kids and so he was so delighted when all of us siblings my dad would come home and he would bring us all to that Farmhouse and we'd overtake that Farmhouse so he was he was always everyone's favorite uncle and so now our favorite uncle is uh right next door so when we go home to visit mom and dad who would be there for at supper time well Uncle Edy would be there for the last three years he's been there for Christmases and Easter and thanksgivings and we all have seen Health Decline and uh this summer two weeks before he passed away I went home and uh we went to the home where he was just to have a visit like we would always do and he was always so excited to see me and Janelle and he would see our kids and he would look at our children and be so happy and so happy for Janelle and I because we were experiencing something that he really wanted but never had the chance to have because of his service to others and he would often tell me how he had wanted to have a family but he couldn't and this last time when I saw him two weeks before he passed away he he recounted some of his memories that I'd shared with you of caring for his parents as their health declined and he said something like I always wanted to have a family like you but I couldn't that's just the way it was he said and then he got lost in his thoughts and he went quiet for a number of secondy looked away and then he looked back at me with a smile and said and if I had to do it all over again I would not change a thing

that's beautiful it's a beautiful way to live and it reminds me of what St alonsus says in his sermons today I beseech you therefore to imagine yourself already at the point of death about to appear before the tribunal of Jesus Christ reflect what when reduced to that state you wish to have done would it not be a Grace for us to be at that point to be able to say and if I had to do it all over again I would not change a thing you know at the end of our life what are we going to regret and what are we not going to regret we're not going to get to the end of our life and think why was I not more

selfish why did I not spend more of my resources on myself why did I not take time more for

myself no I think it'll be the opposite why didn't I spend more time with the people I love why did I not serve them with a more Generous Heart why did I not pour out myself as a life of service in a more generous way

what do you [Music] think anyways I hope this story has been an encouragement to you um if you can remember to pray for the soul of my godfather Uncle Eddie I'd appreciate it share with me below with s tun way we'll see you soon