Dear Grandma Pauline,

It has been years since

you were called home.

I miss your quiet strength,

and your beautiful, kind spirit.

You were always the best combination

of Southern sass, heart, and grace.

I remember when you would

take my hand and

walk with me

to the store

down the street

and give me money to buy

“a little knick knack”.

And when you would make

homemade biscuits in the mornings –

fresh, flaky, and hot.

We would poke a hole in them,

pour in the thick, sticky sweetness

of Cane Patch syrup,

and eat until we couldn’t hold any more,

licking the goodness off our fingers

when we were done.

Or when we would sit on the front porch,

you in a rocker,

and me and the other kids on the porch swing,

drinking Coca Cola and sweet tea,

or eating melting icy popsicles,

the heat sweltering even in the shade.

But we didn’t care.

Grandma’s house was the place to be.

There are so many other memories,

so many other stories I could tell,

and each them has its own place

on the shelf in my heart.

I wish you were still here,

that I could sit with you

over a plate of blueberry cobbler

and vanilla ice cream,

or even while shelling butter beans,

and we could talk again.

I’d want you to meet you great grandchildren;

my son, an amazing young man

who likes to work with his hands,

and a heart that’s full of goodness.

And my baby girl, a teen full of character,

her presence and attitude larger than life,

with unique hazel eyes just like my dad’s,

your son, who is the reason

I knew you

and your light,

and I’m so grateful to be your family.

I knew you would have loved them

as much as you loved us,

as much as you loved me,

and they would have loved you, too.

I hope you look down and smile at them,

at all of us,

and know that we can’t wait to see you someday.

It was hard when you left,

and it was difficult to see you slip slowly away,

your health deteriorating before our eyes,

the bright spirit fading as physical pain,

and grief over Grandpa’s passing

took their toll on your mind and your body.

But you still shone with inner beauty,

the spark and glow of your beautiful soul

never dimming,

even when the darkness came

and took you away from us.

You still live in our thoughts,

and pictures still remind us of you.

Though we are apart now,

I will be more than ready to hug you and hold tight,

and I’m sure there will be line behind me,

waiting to do the same.