Uncle Buck

I was talking on the phone to my aunt Diana last night and she told me that our Uncle Buck had past away. Uncle Buck was my Grandpa A's sister Doris' husband. We didn't see that side of the family much, except for some weddings and funerals....and once in a great while...a big family reunion. I remember that Uncle Buck was a gentle soul with a big toothy grin. One of his grandchildren (what does that make her relation to me.... 2nd cousin?) anyway is a girl named Lori Polland. If you grew up here...you probably remember the story of the beautiful blonde little 3 year old girl who was kidnapped and put by her kidnapper in the porta-potty in the mountains. She and her brother were playing in their front yard, a man offered her candy, she walked up to the car and he grabbed her. Little Lori was knee-deep in the muck for nearly 4 days. She was found alive and ok. I remember that when she was found she asked the man if he had the KOOLAID she had been asking for. Heartbreaking. My parents never let us forget that story and we spoke about strangers and the dangers of people we don't know probably every day. I found this story on her on the internet.

Years later, I was at work, and I get a random call at the radio station. A girl's voice says, "Hi, I am Lori Polland and I am a camp counselor at a summer camp for kids who have been through a traumatic event," I interrupt her and tell her that we are distantly related and she really wanted to come by the radio station and meet me. She was calling to get donations for her campers...so I put together a box of station goodies and looked forward to meeting her. She is a gorgeous girl and sweet as pie. We haven't been in touch since...but hearing that Uncle Buck had died made me remember a little girl who had a very bad thing happen to her...who choose to make a difference in other's lives...and she is quite an inspiration.