It could have been yesterday…
Strong as an oak, mighty yet humble-
Cole graduates today with a Bachelor of Applied Technology (BAT) from Rose State College- 10 years to the day of your passing- can you even believe it?! My goodness, you must be so proud- I know all of us down here certainly are. I know you have been there every step of the way- orchestrating and ordaining from above- gently, quietly, steadfastly and always in his corner.
We couldn’t have asked for a better patriarch-
Every good and pure piece of each of us was passed down from you- there is no doubt in my mind: You were and are the best of us. The life you led, the way you treated each person- stranger or friend- who crossed your path was an example of Christ’s love poured out and lived for each of us to learn from.
Kind, loyal, fun and full of vigor-
The urge to pick up the phone and call or just swing by your house or send you an email (cue the tears) is so strong. Sometimes it’s still not real to me that you’re gone. Lent, Easter, Mommaw’s birthday and the anniversary of your passing are all so near to each other on the calendar it feels overwhelming at times to try to sort through all the feelings, emotions and memories that never fail to crop up during the spring and every year on May 8th I get catapulted back to these memories:
It just happened:
Mom just called me (it was Mother’s Day)
Cole just drove me to the funeral in the El Camino (you gifted it to him when he was 15)
I just stumbled and bawled my eyes out reading the scriptures we picked out for your service (I held it together until I stood at the pulpit at your church, still seems like a dream)
We just put you in your study to watch over Mommaw and the house (I can feel your spirit there, always)
It just happened and yet, it’s been a lifetime-
I hope you’re proud of your family down here, truly just trying to make another way forward even after 10 whole years it’s hard to believe the world has continued to spin and life continues to be lived.
It could have been yesterday…
As we celebrate both you and Cole today- I’m certain old wounds will open, but new memories will be made next to them, and through it all, we will always remember the 8th of May.
We love you and miss you, always❤️
EMC// 5.8.2026// @emcummings822