A letter to you on your birthday, CRW

I can remember this like it was yesterday.  I was cleaning the boat.  You dragged your chair out and sat it up right smack dab in the middle of Byrd street.  You watched me and told me how silly I was to clean that boat because it was only going to get dirty when we put it in the water...you were right.

Things that make me miss you...
watching my boys jump rope
songs on the radio
knowing how much you loved Easter because of the trumpets
when I need to tell you something big
when I need to tell you something small
sitting on the porch
grocery store flowers {real ones}
when I see an old jeep
eating boiled peanuts
when I try to make a rooster sound {you had this one down}
when I see your mama...ya'll have the same hands.

I know I'm not alone in missing you.  You lived life so big and in doing that, people fell in love with you.  They wanted to be like you and make you proud and just be near you.  A lot has changed since you've gone; some good, some less good.   My heart doesn't ache for you the way it once did...when the wound was fresh and grief came crashing down on me constantly...when I could not speak your name without tears.  It's still there, but different.  I guess I've come to know that my time with you in heaven will be millions of years longer than the time I spent with you here.  Your leaving has made me live with a purpose I didn't know before because my only hope of seeing you again is there, in His presence.  I love you my sweet friend, Happy Birthday.

always,
Misty

{a letter to you, joy, answer, the hurt}