"Would you like anything

from the buffet while I'm up?"

"Yes, I'd like a piece

of that chocolate cake."

"There's only one slice

left."

"I'll take it."

Gasps went up around the room.

"I know! Mama always told

me not to take the last piece of anything, but along about the time I

turned 50, I started taking the last piece of anything I wanted."

Laughter rang out in the extended

dining area. Most folks in that never to be forgotten setting identified.

I, who have been eating dessert first for years, saw much wisdom

in the revelation that had been laid out before us.

I suspect there are, in all

families, never-to-be-forgotten moments packed with extraordinary tidbits

of wisdom, joy, peace and comfort. Moments we hold to our breast, deep

in the corners of our hearts, for times when we no longer are surrounded

I am most blessed. No one who

has come before me, or who will follow after me, can ever know more joy

than I have known in more ways than I can count. It is awkward to make

that claim, knowing how much pain and suffering there is in the world.

It is my claim, however, and I make it reverently.

You see, I come from a really

big family. The oldest of seven kids, my dad was youngest of four and

my mom was number eight in a family of eleven children. All this before

I ever married a man who was the youngest of seven and whose parents also

hailed from very large families.

Family is where it's at! There

is no end to what "it" can teach you. The variety of ways in

which "it" can sustain you, restore you, fortify you, and empower

you also are endless.

It is said that we all may

be subject to fifteen minutes of fame sooner or later. I don't know about

that, but if I ever did make any claim to fame I would want that claim

to somehow revolve around my having been born in Miller County. That would

be Colquitt, Georgia, in the good old USA.

That's real important because

if you are from Miller County, you can always go home again. And going

home again should not to be taken lightly.

It is not to be confused with

knowing where you've come from. That's important too. It helps you to

get where you are going. But to actually be able to go home again is a

rare and precious thing.

I went home to Colquitt again

this past weekend to celebrate Aunt Benonia's passing. We don't just bury

folks. A funeral is really only incidental to the way we celebrate the

exit our loved ones make from the bodies they live in while on earth,

although the funerals are indeed something to talk about!

Yep, Aunt Benonia's the one

I wrote about a year or so ago. The one who ­ due to a long, long

illness had experienced more dyin's that any other family member ever

known to the clan.

It was on April 17 that she

finally left this earth. Well.... actually, she may not have left until

after the service. She wanted real bad to hang around for it, and if there

was any way possible I'm sure she did. What's more, I'm sure she enjoyed

it! I know I did. Don't think I've ever enjoyed anybody's dyin' celebration

quite so much.

There are the throngs of friends

and relatives that come and go. There's an endless supply of food and

drink brought in by friends and neighbors. The children quickly and easily

figure out how to entertain themselves. Hugs, laughter, tears abound.

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