Finding joy in sadness … by telling stories

Today was another day of saying goodbye … the memorial for my brother-in-law Bob Braun.

Today could have been a really hard, really sad day. But it wasn’t. Yes, there was sadness … from those who knew Bob as Husband, Dad, Brother, Grandpa, Great Grandpa, cousin, friend, etc.

But there was also joy … most particularly as people talked and laughed, remembering Bob. You see, Bob was a tease, a trickster … and he was so good at it, he could have been classified as a professional. It was easy to get mad at him for the tricks he played, but very hard to stay mad at him. He would just give you that ‘Bob grin’ and your anger would melt away.

At the memorial, there were pieces of paper and pens at each table; those attending were asked to write down a memory of Bob and put it in the ‘memory boxes’ in the center of the table. The written ‘memories’ were collected and presented to the family.

The trick he played on me

I couldn’t decide what to write today at the memorial. But as I thought more, it occurred to me that there is one story that rises above the others. You see, Bob was involved in local politics. Years ago, he served on the City of Princeton Planning Commission, as a representative of Princeton Township - where he lived at the time. He would come to our house and talk about the meetings - which usually ended with me being upset about whatever issue he was talking about - and, of course, I wanted to do something about it. I live in Greenbush Township - who also had a representative on this commission. So, I went to the Town Board and asked if they would appoint me to that planning commission (It is not often that people beg to be put on these commissions) and, of course, they agreed.

It wasn’t long, however, that I realized Bob had been greatly exaggerating the scope of the issues. But, by then, it was too late - I was already on the commission. After a year or two, though, I realized that I like the planning field and was confident I could work in planning/zoning. But guess what - you need a four-year degree. So, at age 39, I went off to college to get that degree, followed by a masters’ degree and have been in the planning field for over 25 years. All of this happened because of Bob, the trickster.

So, Bob - you did trick me - but it was the best thing that ever happened to me. Rest in peace, my friend. We will keep you in our hearts.