Mary Jane Skala’s column “Dad hands my uncle final gift” is a touching story of love and family. Skala leads into her main story by talking about her father’s sickness and eventual death. She tells the touching story of her Uncle Tom, who unexpectedly fell in love with a hospice volunteer as Skala’s father was dying. Tom and the volunteer, Clara, talked with each other every day and he would bring her homemade cookies. After Skala’s father died, Tom and Clara were engaged weeks after the death of Skala’s father. They decided they shouldn’t wait because life is fleeting. Skala ends the story by saying that, even in death, her father was able to give Tom one more gift. This gift was love.

Skala’s story transcends time and place. The story happened in Cleveland and was written for a tiny paper in Kearney, Nebraska. However, it has something anyone can relate to. Everyone wants to see people fall in love and be happy. Everyone wants to see some beauty come from a sad situation. While this column does not offer something grand for Kearney in particular, it offers a connecting point that could very well bring in more readers. I would encourage you all to read this story.