07.25.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 1:01 am by Administrator
This is a difficult blog to write. It’s never easy to reflect on the death of a family member. Of course, in this case, I had actually never met him. I hardly knew him, save talking to him on the phone a few times. Still, there is that feeling of loss. Cousin Arnold was his name. Arnold Jordan. He was the only living nephew of my great-grandfather, Dr. John Henry Jordan. Cousin Arnold was 95. Yes, he was up in age, as they say, but I think no matter how old a family member is, you never want to lose them. Even in the midst of the sadness, especially for his immediate family, blessings have burst forth. Distant cousins, some of whom are his descendants, have found me on the internet within the past week or so since he was buried. How wonderful to make those connections.
I hate that Cousin Arnold is no longer with us, but he will, undoubtedly, live on in the hearts of his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. It’s just a poignant reminder of how short life really is. If I could say one thing to Cousin Arnold now, I would simply ask him this: could you say hi to my great-grandfather for me?
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07.16.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 3:23 am by Administrator
July often reminds me of being back in Georgia. I spent the better part of most summers there growing up. I relish those times. My two older brothers and my sister and I looked forward to being in Newnan. My sister, Kristi, and I would play outside with the neighborhood kids and dance as we sang our own renditions of popular songs from the radio. Then, when the heat and humidity got the best of us, we’d run inside and play upstairs in my grandmother’s house. My sister loved to play pool. She still does. My grandfather, when he was alive, taught her the ins and outs of the game. She is still benefiting from those lessons. We’d play into the evening and wake up late the following morning, just to do it all over again. The Fourth of July always brought with it the promise of my grandmother’s delicious Brunswick stew. Yum. I can still taste it now. I just mentioned to my grandmother on the phone last night how much I loved that stew. She says she’s too up in age to make it now (of course, she is 96, so I don’t blame her). I’ll guess I’ll just have to carry on the torch…
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