We Gather Together, In Memory of Pa

On Saturday, June 11, at precisely 3:09am, my grandpa ("Pa") passed from this life to the next. It was expected somewhat, but yet not quite so soon. Pa has been bedridden for four years with endless health problems. His last battles were pnemonia and kidney failure. Sweetly enough, his very last words were to his sweetheart, his selflessly loving wife of over 50 years. He said, "I love you, Babelle." (*tear*)

Thankfully, our entire family was able to gather together the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. We usually have a family cookout around Memorial Day, and this year we had planned a big celebration to honor our family graduates - Mom, Hannah and Hadrian.


Pa was in the hospital at the time, and due to the situation, we opted to eat out for lunch and make our hospital visit afterward. We are all SO GLAD we got to spend this precious time with him because for most of us, it was our last time spent with him :(


Pa was in good spirits, as he always was anytime a gathering was held. He loved to socialize and visit with family and friends, always to finger lickin' southern food and often to finger pickin' (bluegrass) music. Hosting parties was his specialty. Pa never met a stranger, that's for sure. He knew everyone in the town of Blairsville. Every restaurant. Every restaurant special. And just about every piece of juicy gossip :)


One thing that sticks out in my mind about my Pa is that he was a proud man. Proud of his family. Darn proud of his 5 grandkids. And darn tootin' proud of his 1 and only greatgrandchild - ALAINA!


Pa was also proud of the town from which he came. I couldn't picture him anywhere else besides Blairsville. Every tree had a story, every mountain had a name. Pa was a great storyteller at heart. He would tell you the God-honest truth, or a lie, or a mix of both. Whatever would make a good story :)


Each loved one has special memories of Pa, Alaina being no exception. Every time Alaina visited, she knew she could always find her Pa in the same place, in his special bed in his special room. She would peek in and check on him. Often times he was "seepin" (sleeping). Sometimes she would sit with him in the bed and hang out, read books, laugh, or whatever the mood called for.

2 months...

10 months...

11 months...

And who could forget Pa's dollars? Each time Alaina came to visit Pa, he would enthusiastically give her a crisp dollar bill. Her very own dollar! The last time around, he generously gave his princess $2!!


One things for sure, Alaina certainly loved her "Paw Paw." For the last couple of months, literally every day, Alaina would talk about Pa. She would say things like, "Paw Paw...bed...seepin...shhhh" or "Paw Paw...sick...sad...tiss (kiss)...hud (hug)." A "tiss" and a "hud" were Alaina's solution to making Pa feel better. So innocent and sweet. Unquestionably, Alaina has a knack for brightening someone's day :)


Although Alaina doesn't understand death, I have tried my very best to explain to her that Pa is no longer with us. She looked at him quite a bit during the visitation. She thought he was taking a nap because his eyes were closed. She also told him bye and that she loved him. During he funeral, Alaina audibly said more than once, "Bye Bye Paw." I think he would have been mighty proud of his spunky little greatgrandchild who wasn't afraid to speak her mind. Reminds me of someone ;)


I also think Pa would have been proud of his girls - me, Haley, Hannah, Hadrian & Alaina (plus Adam) - for eating a late night (second) supper after the visitation at his favorite restaurant in town...Huddle House!


We kept Lainey Bug up WAY past her bedtime for this special occasion. But as Pa would have freely said, "WHO CARES!" We ate and ate until we couldn't eat anymore, just as Pa would have wanted. The 5,000 calorie meal was proudly consumed in honor of our beloved Pa. ;)


Our dear waitress found a Huddle House nametag that we got to take home in honor of Pa. His name was written on the nametag, and it was thoughtfully placed in the memory box of Pa's casket. Yep, proud he would be.


In loving memory of my Pa, who will be greatly missed.

Garnett Talmadge Collins
October 29, 1934 - June 11, 2011