Happy, Then Sad, Then Inspired

R.I.P. - A Life of Quiet Distinction

I just finished another puzzle last night, see below – yes it is exceptionally quiet at the house without the wife. (that will somehow get me in trouble)  I ended up missing one piece of the puzzle.  I'm fairly certain Buddy ate it because I found another piece partially chewed up and he generally decides that if something is dropped on the floor it belongs to him.  He eats whatever falls so quickly as to preclude any claims from the dropper.  My guess is that the chewed up piece was the second one I dropped and he learned from the "taste" of the first one, currently being digested, that some care should be taken with future quick treats falling from that table.  I was a little sad to finish the puzzle missing a piece and I knew I could probably "find" the piece outside on the lawn but in the end I awarded this round to Buddy (he hates when I work on puzzles instead of basking in his presence).  My son called and said he will be spending the upcoming weekend with me.  To coin he phrase he often uses – Score!  Shortly thereafter my sister called to inform me that there would be a gathering of the clan (well at least some like minded people) at a favorite Irish bar down in Rhode Island on Saturday.  She was excited when I reported that both my son and one of my best friends would love to attend.  This morning I had a less enjoyable task as I attended the funeral of a one of my favorite employees back at the job I left in November.  He passed away suddenly and worked up to the day he died.  He was a crusty old New Englander that I admired a lot.  He reminded me a lot of the uncles from my father’s family.  He was hard working, no nonsense, with a bit of the devil and a lot of common sense in him.  His eldest son delivered the eulogy and I thought it was perfect.  You got a real sense of the man – something those of us who only knew him at work were never completely privy to.  The words were heartfelt and you could tell he had trouble controlling his emotions but at the same time knew he owed these words to his father.  You could feel the impact his father had on his life and that was fortunate that he could stop by and see his father almost daily.  I thought it was a fitting tribute to a man who led a life of quiet excellence that was recognized at his funeral and passed on to all of us lucky enough to attend. 


Puzzle of the Missing Piece - Thanks Buddy!