A Time to be Thankful ~ Day 18 Uncle Gobel Jr.

My Family - Uncle Gobel Jr.

Last year I wrote a blog entry about my Uncle Gobel Jr.  He is the oldest brother on my Dad's side.  He has always been so special to me.  I am so very thankful that I get to visit him each time I go to KY.  I wish our visits were longer or that I could see him every day.  

Uncle Gobel and Me on the Skylift

Because he is stuck in a nursing home, I feel so blessed that I am able to take him out for the day.  This past summer we went to the Natural Bridge State Park with my mom and Aunt Minerva, his sister.  My Uncle Jr. was able to ride the sky lift with me and walk across the Natural Bridge. He really enjoyed the trip, especially the buffet of food at the Natural Bridge diner.  It makes me happy that he can escape the dreariness of the nursing home.  He doesn't have the best of health but he seems to be one of the healthiest and mentally stable one of all the people of the nursing home.

Look up the words humble and selflessness in the dictionary and you are liable to see a picture of my Uncle Gobel Jr. in there. I have always been drawn to his passive and gentle nature. He has a quality that cannot be duplicated or imagined. One of my earliest memories was seeing him working and digging tators in the hot sun on his Uncle George's farm. I ran to help him because he looked like he was working so hard.  

He may seem like a man of little words and experience but this wasn't always the case. He use to work and party with his aunt Dora Campbell and her brother General Lee when they lived in Chicago. My dad and his other older brothers soon followed in Uncle Gobel's footsteps. They moved to find work there as well. My uncles enjoyed partying as well on their days off but then, kids came along! 

One to rarely ever say no, it was then that Uncle Jr. became the "designated" babysitter a lot of the times! I can't imagine what my cousin Alonzo and I must have put him through. He wouldn't even stomp a bug so there's no way he would ever scold or spank us.

Uncle Gobel Jr., Great Aunt Laura, & Great Uncle George

A year or so later my dad's Uncle George ("Do-I") got sick and was unable to take care of the farm. Being the "single" one, Uncle Jr. agreed to move back to KY and help out on the farm on Fugate's Fork. What was to be a "temporary" stay, turned into over 10 years of Uncle Jr. working as a farmhand for his Uncle George, George's sister, Laura, and her husband, Garvey. He never married, never had children, or got another job after that. His life was surrounded by the duties on the farm until Uncle George's passing in 1985. It wasn't until then when he moved off the farm and eventually got his own place.

His life is a real example of selflessness. From him, I have also seen how giving and caring too much (co-dependent) can also be a curse at times. My Uncle Jr. is a smart man, full of kindness and good heart. He loved his family, the farm, and he loved my daddy very much. 

Uncle Gobel Jr.

His generosity is still there as he helps the nurses in the nursing home with the other patients. :-) No matter what, I know his heart belongs to Fugate's Fork and his family. It brings joy and brightens his heart each time he goes back there, just as it does mine. 

Taking Uncle Jr. to Natural Bridge had been a dream of mine.  I am hoping next summer that we can go to Buckhorn Lake, rent a boat, and take him fishing.  I really love and am thankful for the the memories made with my Uncle Jr.  Be thankful and appreciate those in the nursing homes and those special to your heart.