I was watching Oprah yesterday and she had this author by the name of Mitch Albom on there. He wrote a book entitled "For One More Day". The story revolves around Chick Benetto, a washed up salesman who returns to his small hometown with plans to take his own life. Magically, his departed mother walks back into his life—and he is granted one more day with her.
This episode got me to thinking.....if I could spend one day with someone, who would it be? What would I say? So I post the question to you all - if you could spend one more day with someone you have loved and lost, what would you say? Make sure its someone you actually knew...not Tupac, MLK, Jr, Biggie, etc. It can also be more than one person. But please tell what you would say to this person.
P.S. The movie to this book will be on ABC this Sunday.
4 comments:
There are a few people that I would want to say something to but I think the person that tops my list is my maternal grandmother. She passed away unexpectantly at the age of 48. I was only 5 and I do not have any memories of her. You would think at 5 I should but I don't. I guess b/c I really only saw her XMAS and during the summer. She was at work and my grandfather watched me. But I do have memories of him.
Big Mommy (what I named her when I was little) was a phenomenal woman from what I hear. She was very strong. And what I find to be so unique is that she had 6 children and with her 6 children, she had a very unique and different relationship with each one of them. Especially my mother. She was my mother's backbone. My mother is the second eldest, extremely intelligent, the first to go to college, etc. So for those reasons, my mother was probably her "favorite". She was my mother's biggest cheerleader. So watching how her death affected my mother, was devastating.
Imagine being 6 years old and on mother's day your mother spends her day balled up in the bathroom crying all day. That's what my mother did for 10+ years. My grandmother's death altered my mother's life as well as mine (as I'm sure some of you know from my family history). My mother has never recovered or been the same. I truly believe people when the say they'd be lost without a person.
Hmmm...if I could spend one more day with someone I lost it would be my grandfather. He passed when I was 7 or 8, I believe. And I have plenty of fond memories.
He had some demons but he was a man who believed in family and he spoiled his grandkids rotten with love and affection.
I wish my brother had the opportunity to know him better.
He was a great person despite his addiction to alcohol and I truly miss him
I think I would probably ask him why he drank so much? Especially since he had such a loving family.
And I would ask, what does he think about how some of the grandkids blame their drinking proclivities of him? I know alcoholism can run in families but I swear some of my relatives use my granddad's alcoholism as an excuse to be twisted all the time.
Those are the major things I would ask. But mostly, I would just enjoy the time we had together.
It would be either my Great-Great Grandma Lucy (paternal)or my Great-Great Grandma Minerva (maternal). Since my family's school house dedication this past summer, it seems that my spirit has been renewed. It was an emotional, yet joyous occassion that has really driven me to search within for my real purpose. Who I come from is starting to push my drive for independence, entrepreneurship, and altruism. Lately I've been wanting to talk to Mama more often. Not only because I miss her, but because I always learn so much from her. One thing in particular that I learned just 2 weeks ago is that my maternal grandmother nor great-grandmother were sharecroppers at the time I thought they were. We have owned property for a very long time. Once she said that, it really made me think about why am I not doing more. I know that my family did not have it easy and made many sacrifices to have their own economic backing. I continue to make excuse after excuse for why I am or am not getting my business off the ground like I should, why I haven't bought a home, why I can't volunteer my time, but my life isn't as difficult as it could be. I really would like to talk to my great-great Gandmother about some of the sacrifices they made, how did she see the lives for future generations and are we where she thought we would be now. More importantly, I would ask for advice on life in general and just how to be. Older people have the greatest advice in the world and when they talk, I listen. So all I really want to do is listen.
I don't know if you all know, but I've never really had a death that hit me hard until Corey passed away. My step-grandfather died about 15 years ago, but we weren't that close.
If I could have one more day w/ Corey, I would make sure he knew how much his kindness, listeining ear, and brotherly gestures meant to me. On our one day together, We would hang like old times...Go to dinner, strip club, hang at his house, etc. And on me & Corey's day, I would have to share it with Tenensha and my Simone. They both miss him as well, and were hurt by his death.
His death hurts alot, but I think what makes it hurt more for me was b/c he took his life. And that makes my head wonder all the coulda, shoulda, wouldas....
He was a great friend. Whether it was buying me dinner or Simone's school supplies every year, baking me a cake for my birthday, getting a dumb tattoo covered up for me, helping me move, giving me directions at 4 am, buying things for my house (tv, all Simone's bath stuff, X-mas gifts)...CJ was truly a great friend w/ a heart of gold...
All I can say is that God has truly blessed me by allowing such a wonderful person to have a place in my life....
RIP Corey Johnson...8/23/76-9/24/07
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