Marathon Post...You Have Been Warned

Okay ladies and gents, I haven't really posted personal info in quite a while. Well, here it is. Merry Christmas!

Funeral
I posted earlier this week that my freshman high school English teacher passed away last Sunday. The funeral is being held tomorrow at home. That is a 2.5 hour drive down there, then the same drive back home. It will be a very long day, but I feel as though I should be there. Looking back, I did not appreciate the greatness of this woman until I became an adult. What I have learned about her in the years since I graduated high school have allowed me to alter my perceptions of her. She was extraordinary. All of the Facebook comments left about her by the thousands of her former students have been great. As I read so many of them, I cannot help but smile and laugh. Oh, the things she said and did in class! There has never been a teacher like her, and I doubt there will ever be again.

She leaves behind her daughter (who is only 3 years older than me), a son-in-law, and 4 beautiful grandchildren. Her imprint on this world will last for decades to come.


Grandmother
The death of my teacher coincided with the 5-year anniversary of my paternal grandmother's death. My grandmother, who everyone lovingly referred to as Tine, was a force to be reckoned with.

She was born on October 12, 1929. She was the oldest of 9 children. Just to give you an idea, my dad is the same age as my grandmother's youngest sister. My grandmother learned very early on how to care for and raise children. She was the one who helped my great-grandparent raise her brothers and sisters. Not by coincidence, my grandmother was the matriarch of the family. She is the one that everyone knew, everyone called upon her, and whatever she said was it!

My grandmother knew the meaning of unconditional love, and she proved that every day of her life. She always went out of her way to help her children and grandchildren. After my parents' divorce, it was my grandmother who watched my brother and I while dad was at work. Like any grandmother born in the early 1900s, she always had dinner on the table when dad got home in the evening. (Oh, do I miss her potato soup, her goulash, and most of all I miss her fried chicken...I have not had a decent piece of fried chicken in 5 years!) There isn't a single memory of my childhood that does not have her in it.

What I remember, and love most about my grandmother is her wit. She had such a wicked sense of humor. Let me share some examples with you:

• Tine hated the seatbelt law when it was enacted. She always used to complain and say that it was those blasted seatbelts that were causing her left breast to be smaller than her right. She was adamant in that opinion. 
• Okay, she was obsessed with her breasts at times. She became the charter member, and president, of the "Itty Bitty Titty Club." The hospital nurses knew of this club and made it a point to joke with my grandmother about "the boobs."
• My favorite memory of her was, oddly enough, when she would be in the hospital. There were times when she was hooked up to a breathing apparatus and could not speak. There were other times when she would be so weak that she couldn't speak either. When you would walk in and ask how she was doing, all it took was for her to flip you the bird to know that she was still there and still fighting. I can still picture that bony and wrinkled hand coming off the bed and that middle finger sticking straight up in the air. We would all just about fall in the floor laughing. Yes, she even did it to the preacher! 

The relationship with our preacher, Randy, and my grandmother was a special one. You see, my grandmother was a God-fearing Christian since childhood. Somewhere down the line she quit going to church. That does not mean she quit believing in God. As long as I can remember, she had not been to a single church service in my lifetime, unless it was for a funeral service. Randy was our family pastor. Randy and my grandmother developed this friendship over a number of years unlike any I had ever seen. I had known Randy since I was about 12, and I cannot recall him having such a friendship with anyone else in my family. He would come in to visit my grandmother, whether in the hospital or at home, and right away my grandmother would start him on him. The first words out of her mouth were usually, "Oh shit, here's the preacher." The would carry on for hours. Randy called my grandmother the most wonderful member of his church that had never stepped foot in the door. Randy gave my grandmother's eulogy, and I couldn't believe it when he began to cry. Yes, this hard-nosed, exuberant Southern-Baptist minister got choked up as he told stories about his relationship with my grandmother. 

I cannot tell you how much I still miss her...everyday. Not a day goes by without a though of her somewhere. I plan on visiting her tomorrow as well. I know that I will get to that hill overlooking the Tennessee River, where the family cemetery is located, and sit down in front of her tombstone. I will simply talk with her for a bit. I know what will happen...I will tear up. You see, I have not cried (and I mean painfully cried) since her death. I held it together during the receiving of friends and the funeral. But, after the funeral, the family went to the casket to say goodbye to her. I remember reaching down and laying my hand on her's. Then, I just froze and stared at her. I couldn't move, and I certainly couldn't let go. I knew it would be the last time I got to hold her hand. My dad finally had to come up and nudge me along. All he said was, "Son, she is no longer there." Well, to me, part of her still was. I walked off for the exit. It was then I was starting to lose it. I ducked away in the private family room. It was then that I literally fell to my knees and wept like I have never wept before or since then. My youngest cousin found me on the floor. She just knelt down next to me and grabbed ahold of me. We both just sat there bawling. That is how much that woman has meant to my life, and she will forever be in my life. 

I miss you Rella! 

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A change of subject is needed here...

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Spring Break

This past week has been our school system's spring break. We have not had an extended break since December. Let me tell you, from a teaching standpoint, that is WAY TOO LONG of a stretch of time without a break. The kids were on burnout, and so were the teachers. 

I chose not to travel during the break. I chose to stay local and relax. I did just that! 

My week has been filled with several different hiking trips in the area, great amounts of sleep, yard work (It was a jungle!), and catching up with friends. It was a very relaxing time, and I needed just that. It was so relaxing that I am not ready to go back to school on Monday. I don't want to go...period! 

The upside to going back is that we will officially be on summer break in 30 school days. The countdown begins! 

More to come...

I decided that this post really has gotten too lengthy for my own good. So, I am choosing to stop for a little while. I will come back in a few hours or so and finish the rest. I really have so much to my wonderful friends. 

Hope everyone is well. 

- JC

Consequently, my thoughts go out to my friend, Los. He really needs some support right now. Los, buddy, you know where to find me if you need someone to talk to. Don't make me get on a plane and come out there to kick your butt! Nothin' but love, my friend!