I.amN.otD.eadY.et children so listen up!

I’m caught somewhere between spring 2023 and spring 2024 at the moment. With the medical benefit, Easter, my birthday, and the stomach flu, somehow I lost my bearings. I do, however, feel like I should have thanked everyone for the countless well wishes, cards, donations, love, prayer, and support that I don’t think I deserve coming my way long before today.

So, thank you.

Just know I shed many tears of gratitude over the weekend and time leading up to and after this show of support. The number of people that showed up was amazing, and I think I knew everyone in that room at one time.

SPRING 2023
But it is spring, and in spring a young man’s fancy turns to gardening. That’s what has my blood going at the moment. But before we get into gardening, we must finish off the year 2023. As you know, my cancer diagnosis was only the beginning. Following April’s bell ringing, came May.

Some of you may know that my youngest brothers are twins. Born in 1964 at the Wishek Hospital, I think my mother still holds the record for the largest set of twins born full-term in that facility. Weighing in at more than eight pounds apiece, it was a celebrated event in the family. My brother Curt said, “The only babies Grandfather Meidinger held in his lap were the twins.” And, he had a lot of grandchildren to choose from.
From that day on until today, they are affectionally referred to as “the twins.”

Corey, the taller of the two, was quite smart but sorta lost his way and ended up working at Coke in Bismarck. We used to see Corey more often when my children were young, but as we all got busier, his visits became less frequent.We usually caught up at Easter and Christmas at Mom’s house.

One day, at the age of about 56, that changed. He decided to pursue a relationship and started dating a few women. Then he met Angie. They had a lot in common. But, Angie was from Wyoming, and that meant if anything was to come from this relationship, he would have to leave.
My son was close to Corey and did many errands for him as his disability was becoming a hinderance to getting out and about. Corey had a house that needed taking care of inside and out. We are appreciative of his neighbors for keeping it looking good on the outside. I was surprised to see flowers and bird feeders in the yard one day as I cruised by.

To make a long story short, Corey and Angie married May 1, 2022. That meant packing him up and moving him to Wyoming. It took some doing, but with Adam’s help, he sold his house and put his few belongings in a trailer to head west.

Everything appeared to be going well. Corey’s cats were the love of his life and adapted to a new home. The couple picked up a couple of dogs to fill in the family.

I texted him one day and asked how he liked it down there, or over there, or over down there. He said, “I am getting hot food for the first time in my life.” Angie liked to cook.

Then, on May 17 or so, I saw a Facebook post about Corey’s new puppy getting hit by a car and dying. He was heartbroken and I texted him for the details. He was angry about the hit and run and suffering. I found the text message Sunday.

It was May 18, 2023.

On May 19, my son called and said, “Corey’s dead.”

“What?”

“Corey’s dead.”

I couldn’t believe it, he was crying. I said, “Did Curt know?”

“Yes,” he said, but Angie called Adam first as he was the one who helped them lately with the move.

That was it. He was gone. Without a goodbye. We were all so happy for him to find a new life and just like that it was over with.

I’ll never get to drive down there and visit. We will never see him again down here. We were all in shock.

After much rig-a-ma-roll, we were able to have half his ashes brought to Mandan and had a small but very touching burial at the Veteran’s Cemetery south of Mandan. He was only 59 years old, leaving me with one remaining brother.

How many of us live our life appreciating every moment we have with the friends and family we are gifted.

Just like that, we are gone.