RIP G.B.

Cancer has claimed another. My ex's brother in law passed in the wee hours of the morning. He'll be missed by all that knew him. I knew him long before I knew my ex-husband. As a child visiting my grandparents who lived in the same small town he did, I remember GB as the mail carrier. He would pick up the mail from the ferry when it arrived, and carry it to the post office. In the spring, summer, and early fall, he would cross the harbour in his boat, and often times, a group would pile in for the ride across the harbour, me included. If necessary, we would offer to help carry a package or two to the post office. That job has long since passed to another, as GB retired several years ago, however it is with fondness that I remember him now. He was present at my wedding and gave me away, and his wife decorated my beautiful wedding cake even though my budget for the wedding was extremely limited ($100!). He was a Justice of the Peace for many years, and put his "John Henry" on many documents, including several of mine. Everyone who visited that small town, knew who GB was, and I don't know that he ever made an enemy, as he was well liked by all. He was often known as GB Senior, as there was another GB in town, and he went by GB Junior.

RIP GB Senior. You deserve to be at peace now.

Incidentally, my mother and I had a discussion about the use of "RIP" and she thought it was some new abbreviation that instant messenger addicts (like myself) use. Um, no. The origin is hundreds of years old, and you can read more about it by clicking on this link. They don't give a date for origin, but I have seen it used LONG before instant messaging came about, both historically, and in more recent past.