Colleen’s family

While decorating our Christmas tree earlier this month, I came across a box ornaments from when I was a child. This box had been at my parents’ house for decades, but Dad dug it out and gave it to us last year. I wasn’t quite sure which of my childhood ornaments were in that box (we had a lot). But I was hoping one special ornament was still there. And it was…my most valuable Christmas ornament.

Uncle Joe died of ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease, when I was in eighth grade. I hadn’t thought of him in years, but the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge had Uncle Joe on my mind quite a bit this year. His was the first close family death of my life.Uncle Joe was only 36 years old when this horrible disease took his life.