Got to pay your dues if you want to sing the blues..

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ and you know it don't come easy... Recently the angels swept down and collected the saintly soul of a most revered woman. She was the favorite aunt of my mother's and the mother of some favored cousins of mine. She was part of a generation that came forth out of the union of a pair of simple but uncommon people, loving and loved. One story that will stay with me always is the one where my grandfather, to be, told me he had to ask "Ms. Addie" as he called her, for the opportunity to date her sister, my grandmother. She told him his duties and he obviously performed because he did end up as part of the family. Concerning my grandmother, I have told many that she would have hugged Charles Manson and told him she loved him, and meant it. Another of the sisters had a woman child that would become my "second" mother, giving me all the love and protection that a mother could and would offer. One of the brothers ended up in California, where he tried, unsuccessfully, to entice me to join them in a family business. Streams, flowing from the same pool. Those are but a glance at the stories I have personally. My siblings would have many others to tell about this family of folks that seem to crave the opportunity to share their love with others. I believe that they truly found out that the more you share, the more you have to share and they developed an unquenchable thirst for giving. If it sounds unlikely, ask anyone that knew them. I'm confident that they would tell the same. I know, to imagine anyone like that in this world seems hard to believe, but sadly, it has come to an end. That's not to say that this generation would feel any less toward another, I wouldn't suppose that a family would leave the following offspring without the knowledge or ability to share and to love as well. But, you know, things change. This whole world has changed dramatically since the turn of the last century. In her 89 years, she saw many changes. I'd also say that if her nature was ever seen as a weakness and taken advantage of, she would never have been aware of it. I have said it many times, if you ask Aunt Penny to pray for something, you better be serious about it. She WILL do it and since I always felt she was closer to the source than many of us, something WILL come of it. A rare and special person to say the least. I am so happy that I was able to visit her two years in a row, since it took me 40 years to get back to her last year. Strange how after all those years, I drove straight to her house. I can't remember what I had for lunch yesterday, but after decades of change in the area, I still drove right up to the house. Like a magnet....or something. This year they told me, she may not know you, so don't let it bother you. And when she saw me, the first thing she asked was, "where is your wife, why didn't you bring her with you?" You figure it out. But as I said, regardless of how you feel about such things, I know that God told those angels, "Go get Ms. Addie, she's tired." At which they shouted with happiness at the opportunity to bring her home and came for her. At the other end, you have a dear sweet child. I don't know her man, but, if she loves him, that's all I need to know. She was barely along in her bliss. She didn't know for sure, but I had seen already, she was carrying a beautiful little girl. A girl that her and her husband had produced by their love, that was so perfect, that God had sent the cherubs to gather her before her tiny feet had touched the earth. As he reached down to gingerly touch that little porcelain, dimpled cheek, he told the parents, I'm sorry, but this one is mine. We will never have the pleasure of seeing her hair of spun gold reflecting the sunshine with which it was made. Never will we look upon her eyes of bluest hues of the waters of the south Pacific, both warming and cooling at the same time. She will never be stained with the difficulties of this earth. She will never know hunger or thirst. Never will she be cold or have to endure the endless, dry Oklahoma summer heat. She sadly will not feel the shared heartbeat of a lover, but she will also not have her perfect cheeks feel the tears of a broken heart. No, this one, as special as one ever was. I don't suppose we will ever understand, in this life, why some are taken early and some seemingly late. We never want them to go, but that's what they do. For some reason, maybe some have gifts for others and cannot go until those gifts are exhausted. Others, perhaps, are taken simply so the hole that they leave can be filled with the love and warmth of family and friends, closing in around them, in unwavering support. Both of these gifts will be missed and thought of often. With love and with heartfelt appreciation for what they left us. One, a past of smiles and celebration of life and the other with a brilliant flash of hope for the future.