“Inspiring”,
that’s our conclusion when we were thinking about 1 word that would describe Emiel, or Uncle Emiel, because that’s what he was for us.
Inspiring in the first place for his hospitality. We will always remember the enthusiasm and warmth when asking if it was OK to come over to the U.S. for a visit. We cannot remember that it was ever too difficult or inconvenient. Even if we asked to come with a few friends during the world championships football in ’94 or to see a friend of us that was in the neighborhood for his work.
Inspiring for his family bond. Although he moved physically far away from his roots and family, in his mind there was always the connection with us back in Belgium. He even tried to convince his parents and some of his brothers and sisters to move to the U.S. so that they would be closer to him. And as long as possible he would fly over to his home ground to pay us a visit and to enjoy the legacy of Flanders.
Inspiring for his entrepreneurship. When he set his mind to something, he would do whatever it took to make it happen. Crossing the Atlantic with nothing, searching his path through different kinds of jobs, ending with 1 of the things he was great at: property management.
Inspiring for his craftmanship; designing, building and extending his own house on the perfect spot of a perfect piece of land. How many of us would be able to achieve this?
Inspiring for his love for nature and animals: cows, horses, cats, dogs and donkeys; they were all welcome and well taken care of.
Inspiring for his resilience. He probably suffered more setbacks than many of us, but he had the strength to move on and not complain too much.
Inspiring for his energy. Instead of sitting on a couch all day, even at his 90’s he still wanted to get up early and start doing things. Maybe that energy and his resilience is 1 of the secrets for his long life. And despite all this energy he also made time to sit back and relax to enjoy his achievements; the wine tree being 1 of his favorite spots for that. And finally, inspiring for his friendliness.
We thank you Uncle Emiel for being a part of our lives.
Although the above talks only about Uncle Emiel, it would not have been possible without his wife who shares the same values. So thanks Aunt Lynda for taking such good care of Uncle Emiel. You made his life complete.
Alex & Nancy
