Life is just a dash...

Yesterday my family buried my dear sweet Papa... he was the best grandfather anyone could ask for. Part of my tribute to him was to speak at his funeral. Public speaking is by no means my forte, but it was fitting for me to do so. I'd love to just share with you my heart in what I said...

"There are not enough words to describe to you the unique man that was our Papa. 

He always helped us grandkids and was so proud of all our accomplishments. He and granny came to as many of our events as they possibly could, including every graduation, sport event, recital, and birthday party. It was a tradition that he and granny made each birthday special by singing, quite off key, the “Happy Birthday” song. Papa always insisted that even if they had a gift, no card should be without something in it. If you received money for your birthday, it was always a random amount because of that extra one-dollar bill they would give you in the card.

Papa was always game for any harebrained idea that us grandkids came up with – although I might have been the one that took the prize for the most random and continuous ideas.  (and my mom can attest to that) I can't tell you how many times he came over with some shelf or contraption I had thought up, and he had made. Pretty much if you could draw it out, Papa could build it!  

He would help you with anything. From checking the oil in your car to sitting with my brother to taking granny out with her “gallivanting around”. 

He wasn’t a huge talker, but when he told a story – it was always fascinating.

He loved the outdoors, and had a garden pretty much up until about 10 years ago. I remember helping him pick okra, snap & shell peas and beans, picking tomatoes. Watching him run the rototiller, and using a hoe to mold the earth into neatly shaped rows for planting. One time I had the bright idea of planting cotton. He thought I was a little crazy, but hey – we did it and low and behold I had about three cotton plants! I still have the few tufts of cotton that I picked from my plants. He could literally grow anything.

He was kind, gentle, firm, funny, ornery, stubborn, smart, wise, full of laughter and smiles, always teaching, friendly, and caring. He didn’t have a good education, but was one of the smartest men I know. His gorgeous blue eyes crinkled with love and his steady voice always said "love you", and then he’d give you a big kiss on the cheek. He was a strong man with a strong heart who knew no enemies. 


Such accolades would sometimes seem to be too much for one person to fulfill – but somehow Papa truly filled them all.

There are seven of us lucky enough to be his grandchildren, one his great-grandchild, but sometimes I feel as if I’m the luckiest of the bunch. See, I’m the oldest grandchild. I had granny and papa all to myself for six years, and for about fourteen years I was the only girl. So yes, I was a bit spoiled by my grandparents! 

But the love of grandparents doesn’t diminish with more grandkids – rather it expands and grows. We all feel special and loved by our granny and papa, so much so that we didn’t mind sharing him with many of you. He adopted so many of you into his life and truly was a Papa to you too..." 

Its a New Year

The speed in which 365 days pass is astonishing. As a child the days seemed never ending, as an adult they tick by all too quickly. As with any new year, I tend to ponder what "new and astounding" thought will hit me during the celebrations. And true to form, this year was no different.

My office was closed this past week, and I decided to take advantage of the vacation time and take a road trip to visit my "sister" in Ohio. My little niece is six months old and I wanted to see her while she was still an adorable, babbling baby. Not that she won't always be adorable, but those baby days are so short lived. Jess and I had a lot of fun hanging out and of course, Ani was a delight to play with. Her little chubby cheeks, strawberry blond wisps of untamed hair, blue/gray eyes like her momma, and jovial little attitude were a joy to experience. But all good things must come to an end, so my day today was spent driving the long nine hours home.

While driving, I crossed many, many bridges and over passes and realized a few things while driving south. The caution signs on bridges up north, are very different from the ones in the south. At home, our caution signs say, "Bridge MAY ice in winter". A bit farther north in the Kentucky/Virginia area, you begin to see signs that say, "Bridge ices before road". And of course, when you get up north the signs say, "Watch for ice on bridge".

To me, there's a 'lesson' to be observed. Different times or aspects in our life call for varying levels of attention. There are some things that don't happen often or are that important. They should only garner our attention when it "MAY" ice. It's not that we forget them entirely, but they shouldn't be at the forefront of our minds. Then there are the things that are a bit more important, and show up more often. Therefore, we should know roughly when they are occurring and pay attention to them at that point. And finally of course, there are the things that should have our constant attention. They WILL cause problems if not treated with great care and concern.

So my thoughts and challenge for 2012? Well it is to figure out where the things/events/people/projects, etc. in my life fall in regards to these three categories and to treat them with the level of observation they each require.