Hey Pipa:
We miss you already
But what a life you have lived
A whole great bunch of years
And a great big family to show for it
I only spent the past twenty of them with you
And I can remember so much life in those years
I remember playing with Madalynn down in your shop
And exploring the basement for who knows what
I remember all the times that you and Grandmommy
Came to watch a race, a game, a meet, a competition…
I remember all the holidays spent here and there
Grayson, Conyers, Commerce…wherever
I remember a few beach trips
But lately what I remember has been so much clearer
I remember teaching you how to use your new cell phone
I remember bringing over Harley, and Scooby when they were little pups
You fell in love and didn’t ever want them to leave
But there was someone who wouldn’t have been happy if they didn’t
I remember asking you as I was hauling the puppies off to head home,
“Pipa, who are you going to miss more, me or the puppies?”
You said, “the spotted one.”
You must not have heard me right
Because everyone knows I am your favorite
But shhh…it’s our little secret
I remember you asking my first boyfriend if we ever held hands
I think I remember saying never!
I remember you asking my last boyfriend when we were getting married
We told you “next December”
You said, “What in the world are you waiting that long for?”
We laughed because you of all people understood
Then the rest of our time with you there was full of stories
We heard how you two lovebirds walked uphill 50 miles both ways
In hailstorms barefooted through barbed-wire and glass each day
Just to see each other
We heard how you should have paid attention to God’s sign
Saying you shouldn’t run off and get married all rebelliously
But no flat tire was gonna stop you from getting hitched
And thanks to your persistent pleadings she married you anyways
I guess a man that in love would say anything to get his way
And thank goodness your nagging paid off
And Grandmommy let you marry her anyways
Because if she hadn’t I wouldn’t have such a huge family
I have lost count of all of my cousins
I don’t know how your daughter does it
Better yet I don’t know how you kept up with us all anyways
But you did, and you have, and you will
It’s just now you’ve got the aerial view
And you can keep an eye on all of us at once
But I am going to miss you like crazy, you know
Who else’s perfectly placed hair can I mess up
I know I can’t get away with it with Papa Bud
But we had an understanding
And I will miss sitting in your lap
All 125 pounds of me
Even though Mom told me not to
Carrying a cane wasn’t going to keep me out of your lap
Sorry
As far as I know I never broke any of your bones

It’s hard to say goodbye
I didn’t know what to expect when I came
I have never done this before
I don’t like watching people cry
(So if you’re crying, please stop)
But when I got to your house
Nothing felt different
It was calm
Everyone was smiling
And not faking it
You didn’t look like yourself so I said hi and left the room
But then I realized that was silly
I sat with you for a really long time
We talked
Well, I talked to you and you tried to talk back
But you were listening and squeezing my hand
You were probably trying to pinch me
“Dat not nice”
But I guess my pinch count had reached its limits
I wasn’t scared to see you go because I knew where you were headed
But for a while it was just you and I
And I felt bad that I was the one with you
When so many wished they could be
I told you how much everyone loved you
But I knew you already knew
I got scared that I would be the last to say it
I leaned in and told you that I was scared
So you weren’t allowed to be
And you squeezed my hand real hard
I knew you meant “don’t be scared, because I’m not.”
And all day you were surrounded by the love of so many people
Even the ones who couldn’t be here
I both hated and loved the day
I am not scared to say it is a day I will never forget
Because it is a day that I want to treasure

It’s a good thing your sea green polo matched the curtains
Because someone noticed that the pink sheets didn’t
I know Grandmommy didn’t like them
It’s a secret, you didn’t hear that from me
But you can thank Mama Mac and I
We two women got three kings for you
With blue pillowcases that did match the curtains
They also matched your eyes
We miss those big blue eyes already
That lit up when you smiled
But I can only imagine what your eyes see now
We miss you but your house is not empty
You left us with your love
And there was plenty to go around
You gave us your smile before you went home
You made sure we each had a little piece of it before you left
So we could laugh in the kitchen after you did
I am sure God gave you a new smile when you arrived
When your eyes closed tears spilled from ours
But it was such a relief to know
You would cry no more
Our hearts are not hardened towards your new roommate
But now clinging tighter to his hands
I just pray that when my day comes
I can go home just like that…