I am so sad to see Denny go. The human in me is reluctant to accept his passing. I thought he would have more time, but it was not to be.
Denny was the best neighbor a person could have. He was always willing to help anyone who needed it.
I have many wonderful memories of Denny to sustain me. One is when he showed up at our door dressed as Santa. He thought our grandchildren were there, but they had not arrived yet. I asked him to pose for some photos so we could email them to the grands, and he agreed that we could do that. I'm telling you, they were so excited when they saw "Santa" photographed at Grammie's house. It made Christmas even more special for the children. That was so like Denny...always thinking of others and how to make their lives better.
Denny and I did have common enemies, however...GROUNDS QUIRRELS! One day one of the little critters actually got into our house. In a panic, I ran to Denny for help. He was "Mr. Prepared" and handed me a trap to catch the critter. He even knew the best bait to lure them....sunflower seeds. Soon the little guy was confined and transported to the Pal. I later wrote a story about this incident called LUCKY, THE GROUND SQUIRREL. Again, Denny was the hero. We continued to borrow Denny's trap and caught and relocated 21 ground squirrels one summer. Denny was superb at inventing his own kind of traps to get the little nuisances. He was so proud every time he thought of another way to catch them. Now every time I see a ground squirrel, Denny will come to mind.
Denny is still with us on many levels...when we show kindness to another, that's Denny's spirit coming through to us. When we show a helpful attitude towards a neighbor, that's Denny prompting us to do so. We can still talk to Denny and share our thoughts with him. Some of us even believe that he knows this and can guide us and protect us from another realm. I believe this.
Lastly, I have words for Denny's family, especially Debbie, Heather and precious little Kaylee...I grieve for you. Denny's struggle is over, and he is out of pain and at peace...Allow yourselves to grieve and to move through the stages of grief until you can come to the point of acceptance and therefore reach a state of peace for yourselves. There is no permanence to anything living. But the love and memories you have for Denny will bring you a lot of comfort and can be called up for those "hard" days. We will keep Denny alive by celebrating the way he lived, for he was truly a very good man.
My heart, thoughts and prayers are for you now and always.
