Today our very dear neighbor and friend, John Valinksi, was laid to rest. The Lord saw fit to bring him home on Sunday. It is a big loss for those of us left behind, but a bigger gain for heaven. He is now reunited with his beloved wife. If you could see the pictures over the years of the two of them and the look of pure love and adoration on his face in each and every one of them... it's really something to behold. She passed over 12 years ago so they've waited a long time to be reunited. He was 93 years old and lived a very active life up until about 2 years ago. The past year has been long and hard and he had no quality of life any more. While I'm sad, in many ways I'm celebrating that he is finally free of the body that trapped him. There aren't enough words to say how much he was loved and respected by family and friends.
So, why say goodbye to "Mr. Blinky"? Slike (John) has lived next door for 53 years. The house we live in was originally the house my husband grew up in and he's known Slike most of his life. He grew up with his children. When we moved in here, Ollie was only 3 years old. We introduced Ollie to Mr. Valinkski and many others that have lived on this street for years. A few days later Ollie kept talking about Mr. Blinky. I couldn't figure out what he meant until he pointed to the house next door. I guess Blinky was as close to Valinski as he could get. From then on it was Mr. Blinky and nobody adored that name more than the man himself. I can't tell you how many times I answered the phone over the years and heard "Hey, it's Mr. Blinky next door!". There are so many memories of this dear man. I'm sure we have pictures around here somewhere, although I haven't been able to put my hands on them yet. I've been through all the digital ones, next stop the boxes of pre-digital ones.
So, while it's horribly sad to see the house dark next door.... my heart sings to know he is happy and at peace.
Rest in peace Mr. Blinky ..... we love you!
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