BACK IN DECEMBER, MY WIFE'S UNCLE DIED. Uncle Don. Uncle Don was quite a man. At his memorial service, one person after another went to the mic and talked about how "Don was always willing to help a friend or a neighbor."

Story after story of how the Don helped the neighbor fix something, or helped the family member build that treehouse, or how Don impacted their life 20 years ago when they were in Royal Rangers. How Don said this or did that and made a difference in someones life.

LAST WEEKEND, WE TOOK HIS ASHES TO JUNE LAKE, CA. What a beautiful place. Why did they choose June Lake? Well, Don and his buddies used to goto June Lake every year for the "opener". Opening day of trout season. I asked one of Don's buddies, "Is the fishing that good that you would come here every year?"

"NO, THE FISHING AIN'T THAT GOOD. THE RELATIONSHIPS WERE."

If there was on thing that was evident to me on this trip, it was that Don valued relationships with other people. There was just no denying it. This was the smallest of the 3 main gatherings honoring Don's life, but it was also the most intimate. This is where the people closest to him really got to let it out and share how this man's life had affected them.

EVEN IN DEATH, DON WAS CHALLENGING PEOPLE TO BE MORE SELFLESS, MORE WILLING TO LEND A HAND, MORE FOCUSED ON OTHER PEOPLE. I hope when I die, I leave such a legacy. I hope my death is a call to integrity, righteousness, honesty, and love. As I fight the battle that every man fights, learning to really be intimate with those close to him, I will remember the way Don treated other people. I will remember the way his friends and family thought of him after he left. I will remember June Lake.