Some people dread getting old, I really don’t. I consider myself like wine, I get better with age. Each year, I grow, learn, meet new people, try new things, and make new memories. I truly believe the best is yet to come. Is my life perfect? Of course not, it is not. Does my life always go as planned? Again, of course it does not. I would be married with three kids living in Atlanta or California it thing went as I planned. Oh, well life happened. I am single women living in Chicago who loves her life, but would like the married part/kids part- which is another story.
The part about aging that I can’t get quite used to is people passing on. The worse day of my life was the day my mom died. She had terminal cancer, and lived a great life, but I was not ready. Over the last few years I have lost people my age, and younger. I still think we are young, so it always rocks my world a little. The last few years I have lost three college classmates, a high school classmate, and graduate school classmate. We are not supposed to be saying good-bye so soon.
Last weekend, we said good-bye to Leslie Clark Greg. She was a college classmate who I saw once or twice a year when she came home to Chicago. She was a friend, a fellow Florida A&M University Classmate ( FAMU), my Delta Soror, and I had pledged her. So I considered her my baby in Delta- as I do all her linesisters. The bonds run deep. Any who knows anything about FAMU knows we are a cult- a good one though. We are family- we bleed orange and green. We love each other. Well we said good-bye to Leslie in true Rattler style. Her FAMU BFF planned such a fitting ceremony. I am sure Leslie was looking down, smiling. I know she would have been pleased. Not because we were praising what I wonderful person she was, but they she brought us all together. Leslie smile lite up a room, she has such a sweet sprit. She touched so many people which she was her with us. The Rev Dr. Reginald Williams Jr’s words were so touching. He knew the right words to honor Leslie, and the right words to make us laugh when the mood was low. The story of about his sister graduating from high school- was right on. How we all walk about the stage and our name is called and we pass on. I know I am not doing his sermon justice, but we all will walk out of this life and our name will be called. He said that there were those who had already crossed waiting. I thought about how Leslie was not alone, she had people to greet her. She had our Soror Patricia Sherfield Polite, our Soror Lawanda Renee Henry She has our FAMU classmate Daryl Champion. She had my mom her Soror too. They had like spirits, and I know they would get along perfectly.
So as we all age, I know it is hard to say good-bye to yesterday. It is hard to say good-bye to love ones, but this is a part of life, unfortunately. I have peace in knowing that God has Leslie, God is always in control.
Rest well my friend, I love you and I loved celebrating your memory last weekend although with a few tears.
