The King and I

Oh, PawPaw! For years I've been wanting to write the story of your life so that our family could have close at hand a reminder of God's goodness and faithfulness, and the legacy you've created. It never seemed like a good time to undertake such a huge thing and now the time is up. This blog is such a great idea and it's so obvious you are heavy on our hearts and in our minds. I think my favorite memories with you and MeMaw are on Easter when we're hunting eggs in the back yard at our house on Cloverdale. It made me misty eyed to see Carly doing the same thing with Oma and Opa this year. Those times were special, we had you all to ourselves! I always grimaced in anticipation of the kidney slap but loved being loved on so hard. Do you remember those Sundays? After church we went to Morrison's Cafeteria (which had WAY too many decisions for a little girl to make) and Amy and I always got the cubed green jello with cool whip on top. The BEST!! Remember how you always let us buy a pack of gum or certs when we were leaving? Maybe I am easy to please, but I think it's more like you know how to make a girl feel special. Your love for me makes me feel special even still.
Do you remember me calling to ask you questions about evolution? You would send articles for me to read and encourage me to know my mind on tougher issues. Thank you for caring about my education. I love to learn, to read, to think, to write, and you and MeMaw had no small amount of influence on me.
One year you took Joanna, Amy and I down to Elberta by yourself and we stayed with Eddie. Of course we giggled all night long and you had to come yell at us repeatedly but it was worth it because then we'd get a SniffSniff story and those stories were the BEST! And you always shaved before bed, so there you'd come in your white V-neck tee, smelling like Old Spice and making us laugh until our sides hurt with your stories. We'd kiss your soft cheeks before going to sleep. I still love to kiss your soft cheeks!
How about the last time I saw you in Elberta? I got to cut your hair and you wanted me to do it with kitchen shears. I don't think you know how special that was to me. It seems like a haircut to you. To me, it was a moment with the king, the Patriarch. How can I explain it? I love giving haircuts because it's a form of loving on people. You're touching them, talking to them, listening. It was so fun for me to have that opportunity. It was one of those rare transcendental moments we get this side of Glory.
When Carly was nine months old we came and stayed with you guys for a few nights. This is probably my favorite picture of all time. It made my heart jump for you to hold our sweet firstborn.