Another road trip

My cousin Jimmy passed away on Sunday.

Jimmy was my first cousin. The 2nd son of my dad's sister. One of those people that you literally knew all your life.

He'd been sick for quite a few years. They found out he was diabetic when they were expecting their first son, who is now 21 or 22. About 7 years ago, Jimmy had a kidney transplant. As with most transplants, it wasn't totally successful, but gave him a few more years with his family.

I sat with him and his wife, Teri, at the wedding July 15. We shared stories of our trips to DC, and I really enjoyed just visiting with him. He looked good, and seemed to be feeling well.

An infection later, he slipped into a coma. While in the coma, he had several strokes, which rendered massive brain damage and heart damage. He never regained consciousness, and passed away on Sunday.

So I'm driving back to St. Louis on Wednesday to say goodbye.

This has been a summer.

Dear God, I don't know Jimmy's eternal destination. You do. I hope he's there with you. Give me words of comfort for Teri, Matt, and Drew, and all of the rest of the family during this time. If Jimmy's up there, tell him to say hi to Dad for me.

Amen.