Greetings!

I was in Leechburg, Pennsylvania this past Tuesday. Leechburg is about 35 miles Northeast of Pittsburgh. It's a small town with a population of about 2,400 according to the 2000 census.

I was there for a funeral. An uncle of mine, Uncle Dick, had died. I hadn't been to Leechburg in over seven years, since before my father passed away in 2000. Leechburg is where my father was from, and it is where most of his surviving relatives still live. Most of my cousins from my father's side of the family still live there as well as several aunts and a couple of uncles.

I guess I really don't know my father's side of the family as well as I would like to. While we all mingled, making small talk at the funeral home, I had a lot of trouble figuring out who a lot of the people around me were. Some of the faces looked familiar, but I just couldn't remember the names of these familiar strangers. With a little help from my brother though, I soon knew all of their names.

Being around all of these people who were such a big part of my father's life was very special to me. I was entertained with stories from my father's past. Seems that he was quite the little hellion. I was told all about the time that he burned his mother's house down to the ground. And about how he and his brothers used to go into town and order a pizza with sausage and pepperoni. When they would get home with the pizza, they would tell their sisters and nieces that it was a roadkill pizza. A pizza that they had made themselves and topped with fresh roadkill. That way they wouldn't have to share the pizza with the girls. Now, why didn't I ever think of that?

I also learned a lot about some of my other relatives. Apparently, I had a 2nd cousin named Pee-Wee who was quite a trouble maker. He was fiercely protective of his family to the point that he would threaten and/or physically injure anyone who tried to do harm to our family. Not surprisingly, Pee Wee ended up in jail. He spent the rest of his life in jail because every time he came up for parole, he would threaten the judges and parole officers with physical harm and even death if they decided to set him free. I guess Pee Wee liked living in jail.

I really had a wonderful time hanging out with my relatives. Of course, I wish it had been under different circumstances, but, death is a part of life. Eventually, we all will die. I only hope that before I do, I will have made the most out of what has been given to me. I hope that I will make more friends. I hope that I will take more chances. I hope that I will learn as much as I can about where I came from and where I am going to.

I guess that my greatest hope is that I will truly live my life before I die.