I promised to make a blog entry every day. I knew that wouldn't happen. I know myself too well. But the reason isn't due to my proclivity to 'do it tomorrow - first thing,' which never happens...
We lost a very dear relative, Cathy Cullum, my sister - in - law passed away Monday night. Cathy was the oldest in my wife's family of 5 kids. She had the gentlest way about her. She WAS the typical oldest sister, even though I was not raised in the Cullum household. I met her by my employment at SouthWestern Bell in 1973. She had the run of the office, and I was convinced that we ALL worked for HER. She nurthured that opinion all through the time that I knew her. And I didn't mind it a bit. I came to believe that she was my big sister too. We took care of her, what she wanted, we tried our best to make it happen for her. As our kids came along, it was the same for them. She was an aunt to be reckoned with. And we loved her for it. She was going to become the 'Grand Aunt Cathy' that so many have in their families. She would be the one who would take the kids on great and grand excursions and expeditions....even if it would only be to the Plaza or to a mall.
We had such great plans for and with her. I know that she had plans too. She retired so recently - in September of last year. By Halloween, she began a serious spiral that ended with us saying the rosary around her on Monday as her breaths were numbered. By 8:45, she had left us...quietly, calmly, but certainly.
So, take care of your folks. Your aunts - leave none unkissed. Speak to your uncles. Shake their hands on greeting and leaving. They have vast amounts of pride in YOU that you don't deserve. Truly! They see things in you that you can't see yourself. They have expectations in you that you can only asipire to accomplish, and when you do, you'll never have better cheerleaders. And when you don't, they won't see the failure. They will only see the next opportunity for you to succeed. And they will pull for you all along that way!
Let's hope that once they pass from this life to the next, that they can pull even harder from the other side.
God welcome you, Cathy Cullum and take you into His arms and give you the greatest bear hug that I will miss giving you for the rest of my life.
1 comment:
Chuck and Family,
I'm sorry for your lost, and I'm so glad that I had the opportunity to be a part of the day she was honored and sent with blessings.
I know that there is no perfect family. But I just want to say that from an outsider's perspective, your family is one that I envy. I watched the way your family drew closer together, and carried each other through this difficult time. You guys are all in town, and that's something that's hard to find these days.
Coming from someone who's closest family member (from my family) is 12 hours away, you guys have something very special. And it's in times, like these, where the value of that really shines. This event opened my eyes to alot of things, but especially the importance of family...and loving the ones we're with.
Finally, I'm so excited to bring Harrison, Aunt Cathy's dog, into our home. I will take good care of him. I told Colin that Harrison will be his dog as much as he will be ours...but he will always be Aunt Cathy's.
From my family to yours, we pray for peace, understanding, and healing for your loss. And we look forward to seeing more of your wonderful family.
Buck Wimberly
buckwimberly@mac.com
Post a Comment