My Mary Etta

Jennifer:

It’s saturday night and we just finished eating out for amanda’s birthday/going away.  it was so nice to have so many of us together like that. sometimes when johnny and angela are around i expect to hear that familiar laugh and you know what………i do.  when johnny gets tickled he sounds like mary etta’s unique laugh. (although her laughter usually came many moments after everyone else was finished)  i also wonder if the younger kids in our family even knew that and other trivial things about her.  lets face it, she could not get jokes, had a hard time delivering a punch line, do they remember foods she really liked like chocolate, foods she didnt like tea and onions, i wonder if they will remember her sense of style, the occasional pecan pie she cooked to  bring to mamas.  i wonder if they will have someone they can call on when they hurt or need someone to talk to about private things.  i guess we all need to make ourselves available to try to do and say the things she would have so she will live on in their hearts.

While I was growing up mom always brought me the cool trinkets that Pharmaceutical companies would bring in to sale their brand of drugs. i sort of felt like a tiny james bond and mom was my Q supplying me with all the new gadgets. Pens with pull out scrolls, pens with flash lights, pens with multiple colors, Pens with staplers on them, octagon shaped coin purses they were all there in my arsenal. The thing is that mom never stopped giving me these things. I have somethings at my office now that she gave me.

My memories are full of mom picking me up wearing the all white uniform complete with little white shoes. When there wasn’t a trinket I could always dig in her pocket and find a red lollipop out of the jar at Dr. Godwin’s office.

Debra:

Johnny, I just wanted let you know that I have been thinking about you all week and I wanted to share this poem with you. I read it every night and I think it sums up all of our feelings.

“We little knew that day,

God was going to call your name.

In life we loved you dearly,

In death, we do the same.

It broke our hearts to lose you.

You did not go alone.

For part of us went with you,

The day God called you home…

You left us beautiful memories,

Your love is still our guide,

And although we cannot see you,

You are always at our side.

Our family chain is broken,

And nothing seems the same,

But as God calls us one by one,

The chain will link again.”

Mary Etta was a GREAT mother, but you already know that Johnny. She was a blessing to our family in so many ways.