Home.

There's no place like it, especially when my first flight was delayed by almost an hour and I had to dash halfway through the Denver airport to make my connection for San Jose.

Mona was right there to pick me up - THANK YOU!!!!  I walked into her house to a happy reunion.  At first my dogs ran up to see who the 'new' human was.  And then I watched as they realized it was me.  MAMA!!!  Up Vixen came, and Jemima started her happy barking.  Wiggling and barking.  They make coming home so much fun. 

 Home.  All's well.

The service site in beautiful Eureka

The service was a beautiful thing.  My sisters & their husbands, kids & grandkids all came up from Houston.  Johnny's daughters & their kids, their friends & their kids.  Johnny's friends.  There were so many the service had to be moved out to the front lawn.

One of three picture boards his daughters created,
this one on the front porch

His friend, the mayor, started by sharing how Johnny had impacted his life, and invited others up on the porch to do the same.  The man touched many.  There was much laughter and more tears.

A boy & his Springer 

His biker friends, Farm Dog and Razz were there.  Wow I was glad to see them!  Hoping they'll ride out here one day soon. They talked about their rides to Sturgis and Daytona, and about Johnny's often hilarious antics.

Family & friends talked about his love for them, their families, God, and the ever-present Blue Bell ice cream.

About what a lousy driver he was.  About his amazing ability to charm everyone he came into contact with.

How he liked to hug.  He was an honest, hard-working roofer.  Roofer John

How he'd pull off his shirt while riding down the road.

I thought of how Brenda's chihuahua Abby would run out and jump on his bike when he'd start it up, and he'd hold her in his lap on a ride into town.

My heart dog Jessie checking out the clown.

They talked about his infectious laughter.  His clowning around.  He'd raise his hand in the air while telling a story and wave his rubbery knees back and forth, and start laughing.

At his daughter's wedding

His daughters spoke of his strong love for them, and that while he often made them toe the line, they knew it was for their own good.  And they were grateful.  They said his greatest gift to them was each other.

Those girls have some big love.  The legacy lives on.










Brenda later shared with me how walking a block in downtown Eureka took half a day because so many would stop and talk with him.  He was one of those people who have the rare gift of making you feel like he's been waiting for weeks to see you.  I often watched this in action as he would greet people, in awe.

We all have our challenges in life, and he was certainly not an exception.  And I believe we all do our best to work with them, the best we can in that moment, with what we have.  And I have learned there is nothing like death to teach us about life.  It's fragile and precious, and true love IS the answer to everything.




It was healing for all of us - daughters, wife, siblings, grandchildren, friends.

I feel like I can take down my little, sweet tribute to his life now.

After last week, my heart is full.

 

He was one of a kind.  See you down the road, brother.  Be free.

.

 

And now, it's time to catch up and prepare for a couple of weekends in a row of agility!
Oh, and pay bills and shop and clean.
Later - Vixen just curled up against me.  Happiness.