Funcle

“Funcle”

 I’d like to attribute my being a bit immature and somewhat behind my peer group, in terms of development and achievement, entirely on having sustained a TBI at 23. However, I’ve always been a bit immature and somewhat childish. Whether it was being Class Clown, chronic  over-indulgence in ice cream (still working on it), or the fact that I still haven’t had a growth spurt at nearly 40 years of age; some areas of my life haven’t run on or progressed on the expected  timeline. While I hesitate to judge this fact as either good or bad, I have to say that one aspect of my life and role I couldn’t be happier with is being a “Funcle”.

The webs’ Urban Dictionary defines Funcle as follows: When your Uncle is just too fun to be a normal Uncle: This Uncle must be referred to as Funcle. Personally, I like this definition for its lack of judgment or inference of immaturity. I’m extremely grateful to have more than one Funcles in my life and am really looking forward to being one! I was blessed to become an Uncle in November of 2016 when my much older sister’s (by 11months and 3 weeks) son was born. I had the opportunity to visit him in the hospital that day and could really feel the excitement as our family welcomed a new generation! I may have jumped the gun when I got him some golf clubs before he was steady on his feet, but look forward to spending some special time with Shaun golfing as I have with my Funcles…

I’ll always think back fondly on the early Summer of 2019 when within a week my first niece and second nephew were born. I’m actually sitting at my laptop now looking at one of my favorite pictures set as the wallpaper, a picture of my then 2 and a half year old nephew and I sitting on a couch in the hospital while I hold my younger nephew just born that day! Exactly 7 days later, I was blessed to be at the hospital when my adorable niece arrived! I was actually headed out of town for the “Robie” (an adaptive sailing regatta in Long Island Sound) that day when I got the call that she was arriving. What an excitement filled week!

As seems to be the way it goes with each passing moment, time has gone by at a frantic pace, and with that my niece and two nephews are becoming awesome children. I really believe that God works through all living beings (including animals of course) and have an example of this from both my niece and one from my oldest nephew from the last couple of years:

First, after a relationship ended abruptly and I was in a real funk, struggling to move on amid the Pandemic induced malaise that the rest of society was facing; I was staying at my parents for a night with my sister and her boys. Early one morning as I was sitting at my computer, my nephew joined me. He asked about my friend and after I replied that she didn’t want to be friends anymore, he said the most heartwarming thing. “Don’t worry, I’m still your friend.”

One night I was laying on my brother’s living room floor playing with my niece using one of those metal-wire, roller coaster like things with wooden sliders. Forgive my non-technical description, but you see these a lot in children’s playrooms or pediatric waiting areas. Anyways, we were having a ball and she was thoroughly entertained when my brother came in the door from his garage announcing his presence with “Where’s my Nora?” Like a jack-in-the-box, Nora popped to her feet with a big smile and ran to greet Andy, leaping into his lap.

Whether it was the reminder that I’m never alone from Shaun or seeing the beautiful bond between a dad and is little girl manifested through Andy and Nora, both warmed my heart. It’s moments like these that remind me that even though things don’t always go how I expect or want them to, everything is already ok. I can’t express how grateful I am to be an Uncle, hopefully a Funcle!