Atlanta, GA –
Reflecting upon the funeral
I’ve finally had time to let everything settle. I kept thinking “I need to journal about the funeral, I need to write about this while it’s fresh”. Nope! Hah. It’s June 4th now. I’m finally ready to reflect upon the funeral. The sad intermission from my travels continues. I’m currently writing this while overlooking Fraser Lake in British Columbia (spoilers), but finally feel like I’m at a time where things have settled and processed. I’m also at a place conducive to journaling. It’s hard when you’re in a Walmart parking lot! This place is peaceful though.
Arriving in Atlanta
So! Friday May 24th (happy belated birthday Jenna!) I touched down in ATL. It really was nice seeing my grandmother and uncle upon first arriving in Atlanta. I was poor company after the red-eye flight (those who know me know I have enough problems sleeping without adding any additional complexities to the mix) though. Thanks so much Mike for picking me up from the airport. Good seeing you.
Regressing back to Georgia
I stayed in my mother’s house while her and my step-father were on vacation. Poor timing, for sure. Although it was my paternal grandfather who died I’m sure my mother still would’ve liked to have been there.
It was very strange being in a house again and not thinking about planning my route for where’d I’d be moving soon. Having a full kitchen and laundry and couch nearby. Unlimited hot water showers and internet! It was also strange just being in Georgia again. I feel like I keep trying to escape it and be elsewhere and absorb the mentality and culture of other places only to be yanked back and regress back to Georgia. I’m called a name I haven’t used for more than 10 years. I’m back to staying in suburban hell. Hot and muggy weather makes me want to stay inside.
I really wish I could take all my loving family and friends who I do care about in Georgia and bring them with me on my adventures, and never go back.
Great beer in Powder Springs?
Quick aside from the sad intermission, but I am so surprised that POWDER SPRINGS, GEORGIA of all places has one of the better stouts I’ve had. Seriously. There is absolutely no reason anyone should ever be in that town, but if you are, definitely try the Stout on Nitro at the Skint Chestnut brewing company. I’d tell you to say, “Tell ’em Jay sent ya!” But that would be a lie. I was way too drained while there to socialize. I’ve been there a lot so I’m sure they do recognize me but I’m never chatty.
Thankful for my friends
Not everything about this sad intermission was bad. Speaking earlier about my loving family and friends, it was so great seeing David, Bryce, and Kellie again. I wish we had longer. Maybe I’ll see you again in July when I fly back for my family vacation at the lake. Wish I could’ve seen Julia although I definitely understand why she didn’t go out with David. Hope the pregnancy goes well! Can’t believe yall are about to have a kid!!
And thankful for my family
I can’t name all the family, but Cameron, Courtney, Kevin, Kim – y’all know I love y’all. It was fantastic catching up. I’m ever so grateful that Papa was who he was and our families spent the summers together. You all feel more like siblings than cousins and I wouldn’t want it any other way. Excited to spend this summer together and see if we can’t recapture a bit of that magic from growing up. Maybe have y’all’s kids experience some of that too.
Lee, when are we gonna ride together?? Retire already! I know you want to come out this ways and see all the same things and places as me! Maybe by the time you do I’ll actually be traveling with a real motorcycle and not just an electric dirt bike, hah.
John and Kim, I hope y’all really do your Alaska trip. I don’t know how you’d squeeze it in just over the summer break with the boys, but it’s so epic up here.
Oh, and Maxine! Oh my gosh, I never knew you followed along on my very very sporadic Facebook posts so closely! I love knowing others are getting some value out of my posts, pictures, and writings. Knowing that I’m not just sending all of this out into the void of the internet, or only posting out of my own hubris. It’s unfortunate all this has come about because of Papa’s funeral but either way I’m happy to see everyone.
The Funeral
The visitation was harder than the funeral. I feel like what I saw in the casket was not the Papa I remembered. It was also the part where I finally felt like it was all real. He had been declining for a while, but I’d never see him sitting in his recliner watching westerns again. Never hear him try and hide something from Nanny again. Never see his smirk or hear that laugh when he’s pulling one over on you again.
I don’t know if the memorial was easier because I’d “gotten it out of my system” by then or if I was so pre-occupied with going over my speech in my head. I’m not a person that does public speaking. At all. But when Mike asked if I wanted to, and then later when he asked us boys who else would. I knew I wanted to at least try and tell the audience a little bit about the Papa I grew up with and knew. As well as strong-arming Cameron into doing it as well, heh. You did great brother. Honestly, I’m tearing up just thinking of all the stories we told about Papa. It’s hard to write about this. He really was something else. After the funeral we made sure he was buried where he could watch all the planes he helped build fly overhead.
I’ll have to see if I can’t dig up a few pictures of him to post. Lord knows the iconic ones of him need to involve the boat and the lake. This is also a good reminder for me to see if I can’t find cell service to call Nanny today. Call your loved ones.