My cousin Mark died today.
How do you eulogize someone who shouldn’t have died yet?
He was tall. He was handsome. He was my hero when I was young. He was older, but always put up with the younger cousins. If he was sick of our constant nagging he never showed it that I can remember.
He would walk us up the dunes in Stevensville. One of his strides to three of ours. He would paddle out on the styrofoam raft with us until not even he could push himself down to the bottom. Sometimes he would go fishing, bringing back the bass he coerced from the lake.
He was the kind of man who carried our beloved Grandfather’s dog over the dune so that she could run on the beach after she could no longer manage the trip on her own ( she was not a small dog). He was the kind of card player that you sat in silent terror of, because he liked to go “down and out”.
I thank the Universe that he was put into my life and into my family. He had a gentle kindness that I will never forget.
For those of us who knew him, we were better for it.
For those who didn’t, you missed out on someone wonderful.
God’s finger touched him, and he slept. -Alfred, Lord Tennyson
The Blahg 
This is wonderful, Sarah. I passed it along to Barb & Bob as I knew they would be touched.
That was beautiful Sarah–Thank you. I printed out copies to give to the boys.