is it possible to miss someone you hardly remember?as some of you know, my uncle osiel died when i was five. he was only 32. i know that the loss wasn't near as big for me as it was for my dad, aunts/uncles, and my grandparents. and i haven't felt a fraction of the pain of his widowed wife and two children, one of whom he never got the chance to meet.
but i still miss him.
he was a band director, and he loved his job. and i can totally see that. he and my dad went through college together as music majors. in fact, from what i can tell, he was probably a band nerd!
three years ago when i started working in the art & music department at asu, my mom reminded me that she and my dad had similar jobs while they were in college. and when i started working band camp, my parents told me that my uncle did the same thing at asu-even not going to church the sunday before band camp started because of registration.
so even though i don't work at that job anymore, i helped out today with registration. and i thought about my uncle the whole time.
i thought about the times that he went in early, probably to set up equipment for the bands. i thought about him running around campus, getting things that different directors needed. i thought about the sunday mayhem of getting jr. high and high school kids registered. i thought of the long days and nights that he spent in the carr building, helping band camp run smoothly.
i sit here and wonder if people appreciated my uncle, because i know that he did everything he could to help out, and he was a hard worker. but he never needed any recognition. he was just happy doing his job, passing on his love for music to a whole new generation.
i love to hear stories of his teaching days. some are funny. many more are inspirational. i hope that someday i can be the kind of teacher that he was and that my dad is today.
and as i sit here, all i can think about is that i miss him so very much.
to tell you the truth, every time i think about it, i'm tempted to be frustrated, even a little bit angry that he died so young. the loss was enormous.
but on the heels of those emotions comes the knowledge that God has a plan-He is sovereign. and joy wells up in my heart as i think about the fact that i WILL see him again. it makes me even more thankful for the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross for us.
so now i miss my uncle. but i'm waiting...patiently waiting until i can see him again.
i love you, uncle osiel.
3 comments:
Beth, your beautiful tribute to Uncle Osiel brought tears to my eyes. I don't know if you realize that he was inducted posthumously into the Texas Bandmasters Hall of Fame. We all miss him greatly.
Thank you Bethany for the beautiful thoughts concerning Uncle Osiel, I remember him with great fondness and respect. I remember the great fun we experienced growing up in Robstown I too cannot wait until we are reunited. Thank you mija.
Beth your right your uncle was a band nerd. No not really, Aww forget it, your right he really was a band nerd, but overall your uncle was a man of God. The thing that attracted me to him was the exact the thing that you mentioned (pretty insightful for not knowing him very well) and that was his lack to need or seek recognition. He was a man of humbleness but a with a tremendous inner strength, love for his fellow man and faith. Over the past 17 years I have prayed and continue to pray that I could somehow instill that same strength in faith to his two beautiful children and to myself. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and for reminding meof not only my first true love but especially of Osiel's sweet, sweet spirit and the love he had for me and his kids, even his son who he never met, but will some day.
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