May 27

... was always the day we celebrated Papa and Gigi’s birthdays.  They were 6 years and 2 days apart.   Papa’s birthday was on May 26 and Gigi’s was on May 28 so we always celebrated on the day between.  We went to the Stillwater Gardens where a portion of their co-mingled ashes are buried and placed flowers at their burial site.  The cemetery was beautiful, just as Gigi would have loved it, lined with hundreds of flags for tomorrow’s Memorial Day celebration.  In years past we had sweet birthday dinners, their cake of choice…. usually, crème de menthe … and times around the table telling Papa and Gigi what we loved about them.   Last year Papa celebrated his last birthday in bed with his usual sweet countenance and a birthday dinner of steak, eggs, sourdough toast, coffee, and crème de menthe cake.  Isabelle made a crème de menthe cake today in memory of them.  I think we will do that every year on May 27.

What do I miss about the two of them? In simple terms, absolutely everything.  I miss Papa’s kindness, his gentle nature, patience, and supreme tenderness.  His all-encompassing grin, eyes that spoke with no need for words; his voice, kissing his forehead, the smell of his skin.  I miss feeding him and eating breakfast together….just he and I.  Hearing “I love you precious girl” from his lips each and every day. I miss having Gigi sitting in the kitchen with me.  Over the years she taught me to cook.  She was the consummate hostess and passed on to me her desire to show love through food.  I loved watching Chad and the kids help them to the table for dinner.  I miss having every dining chair full.  I miss how Gigi cried every time she spoke of her daddy.  He died when she was 14. I love how Papa spoke of his God with deep reverence. I love the memories of countless running races with Papa on the sidewalk as a little girl. I love the treasures tucked away in my heart in the form of memories of Gigi walking on one side and I on the other, hand in hand with Papa.   I love that we still held hands when we walked or just sitting together, even as I was a grown woman.  I love how Papa showed Chad what it means to be a father, in word and deed.   I miss seeing both of them with our children, they each took so much joy in the lives of those around them.

Today we are celebrating the precious memories of two faithful people. The words … “may all who come behind us find us faithful”  rings abundantly true for the two of them.  While we remember them here, Papa and Gigi are celebrating today in a manner we cannot fully comprehend.  They do not celebrate for their earthly birthdays’, but in a way that I am certain must encompass every day in eternity…. celebrating the amazing joy of being with their Savior.