Today is Gamma's 87th birthday. It's her second birthday here without her, and it's hard for me to believe that she's been gone that long.
As she turns 87, I can only think fondly on the past year. She is such a big part of our lives still and never far from our minds. We know the answers to the following questions but oh how I wish she were here to share these moments with us.
Would she roll her eyes at the thought of being 87? We would tell her she looked good for 87 and she would wholeheartedly agree!
What would she have said to me the moment she saw me in my wedding dress? Would she have loved my flowers as much as I did? Would it have meant as much to her as it did to me to wear her jewelry on my special day?
How honored would she have been to know that her second great-granddaughter is to be named after her? Would she have cried when Kellee and Brandon told her about Payson Lowery? I can hear her now telling people, "I have two daughters, five granddaughters, and two great-granddaughters! NO BOYS!" It makes me grin.
Could she love Tynlee any more than we do? What would she say to her or what noises would she make for Tynlee to giggle that precious giggle? What would Gamma say when Tynlee told her "no?" :) Oh to see those two together again!
What would she say about Karen's nose and Jessica's ear and Kristy's tattoo? She might not outwardly approve but we could never make her any less proud of us!
Would she love the renovations at the beach? How would she have handled Larry the Cabinet Guy?
How many extra "happys" would she slip Brady, thinking I would never know?
Could she even believe that Mississippi State was the number one team in college football? How excited would she be for her home state of Mississippi? Would she ring that cowbell proud? Who would she cheer for if FSU and State make it to a playoff or the championship game?
Would she smile knowing that her hibiscus is blooming in my garage with it being 48* outside as sure as I am sitting here typing this right now? Would she take any credit?
Would she love knowing Kristy made her vegetable soup last week? Or that one of us went to Sams and bought toilet paper in bulk today and thought of her? Would she laugh knowing we think of her when we floss?
I hope there is not a year in my lifetime that today's date is overlooked on the calendar. I hope it is a day I celebrate with my kids, with a special treat after school or a beloved dessert. We are all here because of her, we are all who we are because of her, and for generations we will carry a piece of her with us. I hope November 3rd is day that we continue to celebrate her, thanking the Lord that she was ours, even if only for a short time.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GAMMA. Today I celebrate you with some bubbly and banana pudding!
I love you, always and forever. You are missed so very much.
Haley Benson (would she think that sounded funny?)
