Dash Dot Dot Dot

“One of the last times he was here, broad daylight, all of a sudden he jumps up and proceeds to go over to the tree on the corner of the driveway and just relieves himself right on the tree there.”

Richard’s sister lives in a nice suburban neighborhood. She’s on the front lawn, surrounded by Easter decorations. She’s explaining why her husband Larry doesn’t like Richard coming over to visit.

During the course of our conversations she adds more pieces to the jigsaw. She has the same energy as the other Kuchera’s we’ve met. It’s fascinating to see the overlaps.

Her infectious enthusiasm for life is born out of a serious illness ten years ago which she survived.

“It’s a lifelong journey to figure out why am I here, what am I supposed to be doing? The greatest gift that I received was the illness of cancer 10 years ago. I think of it as a privilege to be chosen by God to go through this adversity - in going through that you realise what we are really here for”.

Towards the end of the interview, she tells us the story of a reading at a recent funeral,

“Your tombstone has the year you were born, and the year you died, and then in the middle will be the dash. And in the end it isn’t important what year you were born and what year you died, but what you did with the dash, what did you do with your life in between”.

Bodily functions to death, via family and the church. It’s classic Richard.