MERRILL

Uncle Kenny with his two brothers - David and Tony.

 Uncle Tony's funeral was held in Ashdown, Arkansas. It was a beautiful service filled with stories from his life and music. He was buried in the family cemetery in Aileene next to his brother David and Grandma and Grandpa Reed. 

His passing has definitely taught me a lesson about forgiveness and regret. Over the past few years, Tony didn't have any communication with his kids. In the end his two sons were able to be at his side and say their goodbyes. I know they wish they could have spent more time with him and resolved their issues before he died. I've been holding in a lot of hurt and had many unanswered questions in my life. I've kept a certain person at a distance, not wanting them to get to know me or Zander because I felt that they didn't have the right to be in my life. With Tony's passing, I don't want to have to experience those same feelings his kids had because I was too stubborn to let things go. My heart has been softened and I'm ready to start rebuilding our relationship. I don't know if I will ever bring up my questions, but I know that I don't want to live a life of regret because I didn't try.