We have known for a week now that my sister is dying. She has been in severe pain for the last few weeks and has prayed constantly for God to take her home to be with Him. It’s been terrible for her family and her sisters and brother to watch, feeling so helpless, watching this strong woman who has always been there for so many people, especially all of us who love her so much, and not being able to relieve her pain.
There has been so many times we all have, at one time or the other, run to her when we needed someone to just listen or to hug us, or better still to see that sweet, sweet smile of hers and know that every thing was going to be alright! Everyone who comes in her room remarks that she has the sweetest smile they have ever seen. Those big blue eyes smiled when she smiled.
There is so much to remember about this precious sister of mine. I remember her telling me about taking me to visit one of her friends when I was about five years of age. Seems I jerked my hand out of hers and ran out in front of a car. He missed me and it scared her so bad she popped me one and then cried louder than me because she felt so bad about popping me! I loved to tell that on her but we always laughed about that.
I always looked up to her. I loved to hear her play the piano and I used to slip off to her house and beg her to play for me. She always did and I don’t think I have ever heard anyone play a piano quite like her! When our daddy was Pastor at Eastside Baptist Church she didn’t get to come as often as she liked but, when she walked in the front door and people saw her, instantly everyone brightened up because they knew they were in for a treat. She didn’t like to drag hymns and Boy! you really got a vocal exercise. She also had such a beautiful alto voice. She used it too. Mama used to say that when she needed Edith for anything as she was growing up, she would always be found sitting somewhere with a hymn book in her hands. She was born to sing and play that piano. All for God’s glory !!!!
Now you have to pay just about everybody who has a job in church, but she sure didn’t feel that way. All those years she played that piano at different churches, she never took money for it! She was completely sold out to her God, always. God looked out for her too!
She turned around one Sunday to me and said “It makes me feel so good, you sitting here beside me”. I was the honored one. She was one of the brightest lights in my life. I was the one who felt SO GOOD sitting beside her!
And cook! Man, she could cook! I would go by occasionally after church and have lunch with her and Joe. Joe was her sidekick and sometimes he would do the cooking. It was such a treat. I’ll never forget it!
One Sunday night she and I sung “I want to stroll over Heaven with you”. I looked at Tommy and he was sobbing! Thats what I’ll always remember; her singing and her piano playing, but most of all her faith and commitment to her Heavenly Father. Joe’s going to start running toward her when he sees her walk through those Pearly Gates, and take her to see her Jesus, Face to Face. Oh! What a sight that will be!
You talk about rejoicing! Lucille, ‘Sis, Loretta , Johnny, Robert, Grady, Mama, and Daddy, to name a few. It won’t be many more years until the rest of the family will be there. Can’t you just see us “Strolling Over Heaven” together! Thank’s to our loving Father and His Son!
I’ll never forget how Edith always made a point of stopping at the kitchen up at the cafe to talk to me. She always made sure to let me know she was thinking about her. That says a lot about the kind of person she was. The world will be dimmer without her smiling presence in it.