A few weeks ago, we lost a dear member of our already small family: Papaw. It was difficult for a number of reasons...it was sudden, we were in the habit of seeing him pretty regularly, and my paternal grandmother had already passed three years ago, so Papaw had carried many memories of them both for us. He had such a sweet spirit, and was a wonderful example to me of what it meant to accept people without judgement of them or their circumstances. After the funeral, I was able to spend some time by myself at his house, attending to the details of that place, soaking them up. That was the beginning of the healing for me...found on Papaw's desk was a scrap of paper with three words in his handwriting: "love you Anna" -- practicing, perhaps, for a birthday card. That piece of paper now hangs above my own desk...and the healing continues.
Monday, October 25, 2010
clarence arthur cooper, jr
A few weeks ago, we lost a dear member of our already small family: Papaw. It was difficult for a number of reasons...it was sudden, we were in the habit of seeing him pretty regularly, and my paternal grandmother had already passed three years ago, so Papaw had carried many memories of them both for us. He had such a sweet spirit, and was a wonderful example to me of what it meant to accept people without judgement of them or their circumstances. After the funeral, I was able to spend some time by myself at his house, attending to the details of that place, soaking them up. That was the beginning of the healing for me...found on Papaw's desk was a scrap of paper with three words in his handwriting: "love you Anna" -- practicing, perhaps, for a birthday card. That piece of paper now hangs above my own desk...and the healing continues.
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2 comments:
I had missed Pop's obituary in the Banner, and by the time I saw it, over a week had passed by. I wrote Lis with my sympathies, but please pass them on to your beautiful wife and yourself. I also just realized that I missed your wife's birthday--I had meant to tell her happy birthday. I'm getting old and forgetful, I guess. My love to all of you. Cousin Julie
Anna,
How incredibly beautiful that you found that paper, that he left it there for you in a sense.
Dd
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