One of the Good Guys

Have you noticed that there really aren't that many good guys? I mean bonafide, genuine good guys. The real thing. We live in an age marked by selfishness and narcissism. Good guys today are rare.

It's not glamorous or sexy being good. In fact, to be really good, one would have to be deliberately low key. Good guys - real ones - don't draw attention to themselves. I know a few of these individuals. My Uncle Ted is one of them.

Uncle Ted is a guy who shows up when he's needed. He's dependable. He offers his strength rather than his opinions. He is a man who loves his family. He's provided a stable, normal, nuclear family for his children and grand children. It's not surprising that his three kids are still married. They've had a great example to follow.

Uncle Ted is good with his hands. He offers to fix things that are broken. He grows a garden and shares the vegetables. His home is a place where people like to gather, partly because my Aunt is such a fantastic cook, and partly because he's created such a beautiful space in the country.

You won't read about Uncle Ted's antics in the paper. He won't show up in the news. He hasn't had 15 minutes of fame. But he's left his mark on everyone who knows him. His son is very much like his dad and so is his grandson. He's invested his life in others who will also be (already are) good guys. I don't think the importance of this can be overstated.

Uncle Ted is in the last days of his life. Cancer will claim him very soon. But without any sort of notoriety, Uncle Ted is leaving the world a better place than he found it. He leaves behind two good guys to step into his shoes. He leaves his mark on the hearts of too many people to count, through his quiet life and his good deeds. When those who knew Ted stand over his casket, they will tell stories of his goodness. They will say what a fine and loving man he was - that he was one of the good guys.

I know that I want to be one of the good girls. I want to leave a legacy of goodness and good deeds behind me when I go - to have raised a good girl and a good guy myself... To leave two in my place to step up into this hurting and lonely world and leave it better than they found it.

When people stand over your casket, what do you want them to say about you?