Welcome Baby Gary!

Two weeks ago I was blessed to become an aunt again. However, this time, the blessing was so special. You see, the baby that was born, was born almost one year to the day the grandpa he's named for "graduated" to heaven from cancer of the brain.

Gary Lee Skaggs Sr was a very special man in more ways than one. He was more than just my brother-in-law, he was my friend and confidante (even before my marriage), my financial adviser after my grandfather passed away, and my fellow "outlaw". Gary used to tease me about being a fellow "rebel" and "non-conformist" of the family and always said "us outlaws have to stick together". He always had a smile on his face for you and kind words for your deepest sorrows. When my husband was hurt in an auto accident, he drove myself, my son, and mother-in-law to the hospital accidentally driving by the accident scene with my banged up car still at the intersection. As we all panicked, he stayed calm praying for us and for Ken while silently berating himself for taking that particular way to the freeway. While Ken was being sewn up at the hospital, he held my hand keeping me calm. He helped me with all of the insurance mess that follows an auto accident as well including the settlement; talking me through each step long distance from his home in Idaho. Christmas 2006 he put outdoor carpet on the doorstep of my mother-in-law and ours so both my husband and his mom wouldn't slip and fall going down the stairs. A few weeks later, we found out he had a brain tumor. Two months after that, he was gone, but his legacy lives on.

His legacy continues on in the lives of his sons, in all of us, his granddaughter born one week after his passing and in his newborn grandson. What is your legacy?