Finding Inspiration, Part 2

Vic does not read the blog before it gets published, and the only way he knows what's in it is when I tell him. Which means that sometimes I'm surprised by his reaction to my posts. Like this morning, when I told him about my "inspiration" blog post. Out of the blue, he says, "Bill DeMoulin is my inspiration." Since most of the blog is from my point of view, I thought I'd share a little something from Vic's point of view. So now I have the honor of telling you about Bill.

Bill was my sister's father-in-law, but we adopted him as our father-in-law because, well, the guy was just an everydad. He had a way of making you feel connected to him. He was generous with his love and his time—and not just to his family. He was self-deprecating and quick to smile, and he had a great laugh. He was interested in you and what you were doing. He was kind. To sum it up, Bill DeMoulin was simply a great man, and I doubt you'd find many who would disagree with that—including the lawyers he opposed in court and the offenders he sentenced as a judge. Well, maybe a few of those.

That alone makes Bill an inspiration, but what keeps Vic going every day was the way Bill faced his own cancer. Bill was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a disease that eventually took his life two-and-a-half years ago. But that cancer barely slowed him down. He and his wife, the lovely Ginger (more about her later), made the most of every moment they had together. Here they are at a potluck murder mystery:



Bill continued to show up for family functions, and although sometimes you could tell he was tired or didn't feel good, he never said a word. Never complained, never whined, never moaned. "He was just a stalwart guy," Vic said this morning.

So when Vic starts to feel like he can't handle it anymore, when he feels weak, when he just wants to curl up into a little ball—he thinks of Bill and finds the strength to face another day.

Another way we use Bill as our role model is his marriage to Ginger, seen here on their wedding day:



Bill and Ginger—they just loved each other. They cared for each other. They showed up for the marriage every day. In pictures, they are always touching. And where Bill was strength, Ginger is grace. Last year, when Vic "died," she was with me every step of the way, e-mailing me, telling me it was going to be OK, offering any assistance she could provide. Because she knew how I was feeling under the threat of losing my other half (my better half, really).

And she is still grace today, sending Vic a card every week to let him know she is thinking of him, praying for him, encouraging him to be strong.

To be like Bill.