This is the hardest post I’ve ever had to prepare.  Very early Friday morning, after a brave battle with cancer, my family lost someone very special to us all — my Uncle Chuck.

We all have so many wonderful memories of him, and his importance in our tight-knit little crew can never be replaced.  I’m thankful for all of the experiences we shared, and lessons he taught me.  I’ll never forget how he took the time to explain the meaning of hand-eye coordination, and practiced with me tirelessly until I learned how to dribble a basketball properly; or when he gave me a bowl of rice and a pair of chopsticks and sat with me until I finished every grain, never once losing his composure.  Both are skills I’m quite proud of to this day.  I know how to shoot a bow and arrow and how to fish all because of him.  He let me garden with him, and took me on my first and only motorcycle ride.  He made sure I understood the importance of patience, respect and hard work.  He ingrained in me the value of manners, and taught me the proper way to hold a knife and fork.  He could tell a story like nobody else, and up until last year, he never lived more than 10 minutes away.  He always looked after me and helped to shape me into the person I am today.  He was fiercely protective, strong, encouraging and wise, a mentor and a guide.  He is someone I will always look up to with the highest regard and admiration, and he is already missed more than words can say.

I’m going to take this week away from Raving Fashionista to be with my family, especially my aunt and two cousins, honoring and remembering what an amazing man he was.