My brother Joe relished his title of “uncle”.
He wore it like a crown.
It brought no power, no property, no money.
Only the pure and gentle love of a little girl.
He often referred to himself as Uncle Joe.
When he telephoned, he would say “Hi guys. It’s Uncle Joe calling to see how you are.”
“Uncle Joe is coming to visit next weekend.”
“Would you like to go to a museum in the city with Uncle Joe?”

Uncle Joe and Joanne were like two peas in a pod.
They were best friends from the start.
The first time they met was a few weeks after I returned from China.
Joe took the bus from New York to visit us.
I was sitting outside on the front lawn with Joanne and Lucky, my dog.
When Joe came walking up the front sidewalk,
he looked at Joanne and said, “She’s a doll”.
It was the beginning of the “mutual admiration society.”

Like the twin stars, Pollux and Castor, they were drawn to each other
with a constant and steady pull.
Their shared orbits witnessed numerous events in their lives …
birthdays, holidays, vacations, swim parties and dance recitals.
They read books together and they built doll houses together.
They attended Broadway shows together.
They visited art museums together.
Uncle Joe was present at Joanne’s Baptism, her First Communion, and her Confirmation.
He was going to walk her down the aisle when she married.

Joanne brought an abundance of light to Joe’s life.
She managed to push all his dark clouds away with her two tiny hands,
her sweet little kisses, her precious hugs, and her delicious giggles.
And Joe brought so much light to Joanne’s life.
He was her uncle, her playmate, her companion, her best friend.
She squealed with delight when Uncle Joe came to visit.
She watched for him by her bedroom window.
When she saw him walking down the driveway, she would scream,
“Uncle Joe’s here!” and run to greet him at the front door.

Their shared light cast a glow on the other.
They beamed so brightly in each other’s presence.
Uncle Joe will always be a part of Joanne’s star
and Joanne will always be a part of Joe’s.
These two stars whose orbits intersected with one another
will never drift apart.
Their light will shine on the other forever.
Their pull toward each other will never end.