I hope that somehow this can get to Lori.
My 95 year old grandfather is dying. He doesn't have much longer, and the song that pops in my head when I think of Grandpa is 'Paper Wings & Halo'. So, in my last correspondence to him via the mail, I sent a card and I copied & pasted the lyrics to PWAH into a Word document, and added images at the top of angel's wings and a halo. I wanted him to know that when he's ready, he's going directly to heaven. Of course, he already knows this - but I wanted him to feel better about it. He has made his peace with God and is just waiting to go see his wife and other family members in heaven. 'Paper Wings & Halo' sounds like it was written for him, if you only take out 'Mary' and replace it with 'Joe' in the lyrics. In a way, it was also saying to him that when he gets to heaven, I'd like him to "tell my grandmother I said hi"....
To think of my grandfather is to think of the character that Alan Jackson is speaking of in his recent single 'Small Town Southern Man'. http://youtube.com/watch?v=R_uOEosQNWA It describes him to the 'T'! My grandfather is a hard-working, God fearing man who was born in an Iowa farmhouse in 1912, and was a farmer his entire life. He dropped out of country school after the 8th grade to help take care of his 11 siblings and to help his parents with the farming. He met his wife Marcella and they were married in 1940.....and stayed married for 66 years until her death in 2006! They had 2 children, 5 grandchildren, and 3 great-grandchildren. I am always amazed at the life he has had and just at what all he has seen change in his 95+ years. He tells us stories all the time about the Great Depression, World War II, and the 1960's when their son (my Dad) was in the Vietnam War.
On top of all of this, he is just a man of AMAZING character with quite the sense of humor!! He can tell one-liners with the best of them - and still to this day - at 95 years old!! Recently for his birthday I had bought him a frog stuffed-animal and balloons. His response?? "Well, if he won't croak then I won't either!!" ;-) He also recently told my dad to get him a "fancy" razor so that he can get a fantasticly close shave so that when he goes to see St. Peter, he looks good!!! He says you never know when you might be going to see good ol' Peter - so he shaves his face every night in preparation - just in case! ;-)
These are the things I will remember about my grandfather the most. He knows that he could fly if he could get out of that damn chair. He's almost there......
Thank you, Lori McKenna, for one of the most touching and amazing songs I've ever heard. I want you to know just how much your lyrics really affect people like me. Your songs are about real life, and for that I am very grateful.
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Some family photos:
Grandma & Grandpa's Wedding day in January, 1940 in IOWA - cold!!!
http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p272/kittycat2531/Kitt7_2.jpg
Wedding day - Standing on a frozen pond! Check out grandma's "fancy" coat! ;-)
http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p272/kittycat2531/Kitt7_3.jpg
Grandma's senior photo - graduated in 1935! (Grandpa only has an 8th grade education - he would've graduated in 1930 had he gone on...)
http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p272/kittycat2531/kitt11_2.jpg
Grandma & Grandpa at my brother's high school graduation in 1998. One of the last times they traveled from home on their own....
http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p272/kittycat2531/4Grandparents-c_2.j...
