Hey Unc is how I would greet you. You would say to me hey son. People on the outside might think that you were really my uncle and when you used the word "son" it would be as a figure of speech. Anyone who thought that would be wrong. You are my Dad and I am your son. We were never anything less. Your wife, my mother, your children my brothers and sister. I remember all the time we spent together and all the private conversations we had about anything and everything that was on my mind. I navigated life's minefields listening and seeking your advice. I trust you without exception in all things but especially with my heart. When I called you Unc, we always knew that was just a figure of speech. Just like when you called me son it was the truth in every sense of the word. I am so thankful that you and I expressly acknowledged that fact in our conversations with one another. Now as I sit with my Dad and your brother, as he too transitions to where you are, I am so thankful for both he and your wisdom that would allow and encourage our relationship to exist in the manner it did. He was never threatened by it as my father and in fact made sure to let us both know it was what he wanted. My mother told me and felt the same way. Its no mistake or secret that I have always wanted to be like you and I mean just like you in every way. I always sought to have a family life just like the one you made me a part of. I sought all my life to make sure you were proud of me. Up to this point I have been unsuccessful in these attempts because I didnt fully understand what it meant to be just like you. I attacked it from the standpoint of having a nice house and looking the part. I was unsuccessful because it was your relationship with God I should have been emulating all along. In some of our last conversations including a couple weeks ago when we were alone together, I was able to tell you that my life is God first, God always. I am like you now, because I listen to God like you. You never stopped all the way to the end. What an incredible example of what it means to be a man in Christ. Thank you Unc for always being there for me. Thank you Unc for sharing your God, your love, your family, your life with me. As I travel with Dad as he comes to be where you are know that I will always be there for family, I will always put God first, I will always look after my mother brothers and sister, I will always love, appreciate and remember you Unc as my, mentor, friend and father. Your Son, LaJuan