To Caleb Part II.

   Caleb,

You know how much I love and miss you, I tell you every single day so I don’t need to express that publicly.  The pain of losing you is by far the greatest I have ever endured in my entire life.  But I can honestly say that this has been a huge learning experience for me.  You have forever changed the way that I perceive life. 

I started writing religiously because of you.  The letter that I read at your funeral was never meant to be public, but I read it to your mom on the phone and she requested me to read it during your service.  What was I supposed to say, no?  Once I read the letter that I wrote to you at your funeral I became hooked on writing.  Your family loved it, everyone loved it.  But that is something I never want to do again.

Everything has changed since you left.  Remember Paradise Pit, and all those times that us 5 guys shared?  They left with you.  I couldn’t get Brandon, Joe, Ben, Greg, and I together if I tried.  That’s growing up though, I guess.

Every time I see your brother I think about you.  We talk about you, and it’s so hard for me to not just break down right there in front of him because you remind me so much of him.  Congratulations on becoming an uncle, that baby will hear so much about you.  I’d trade you places if I could, I think you’d be the best uncle in the world.

I bump into your mom once in a while, and I see Curty on Cronbaugh hill almost daily.  I need to catch up with both of them before I write to you again.

I’m graduating Kirkwood this December (I said that last year too) and from there I have no idea where I want to go, or what I want to do.  I’m just going to keep following my heart, I have so much spiritual help I feel like you all could lift me up off the ground and take me where I need to go, to do what I need to do.  I love writing but I want to keep it a hobby for as long as I can, so finally after 3 and a half years I realized I want to do the only thing better than writing:  teach and spread the love of writing. 

I started writing for the Pioneer Reupublican, but hit a bump in the road and kind of faded away from that.  I hope to get back on that horse sometime soon.  But my writing opportunities keep coming.  The Iowa Valley class of 2010 has selected me to speak for them at their graduation ceremony.  I’m honored and very excited to lead these kids into adulthood.  I know there will be unhappy parents and teachers because traditionally your speaker is a successful role model.  Instead of tradition, they will get a glimpse of reality, and I think that says a lot for the class in itself.

You’ve done enough favors for me down here, but if you could just tell Peanut, Spunky and my dad I love them that’d be great.  You all need to stay out of trouble up there!  Love you.

CY