Tribute

I recently received an email from a coworker who is sponsoring this year's Relay For Life for Cornell Companies in Big Spring. One of the things she asked is that we put a honor board or memory board up for those family members who are or have been affected by cancer. At first I didn't pay too much attention until it dawned on me that I have two very influential men in my life who passed due to cancer. The first is Harold E. Powell, my maternal grandfather, who passed away on Aug. 24, 1971 from lung cancer. Although this was 2 years and 355 days before I was born, the influence on my life has always been present. I can't always put a finger on it but there are sometimes where I find myself contemplating the "what-ifs." What if he was there whenever I was young? Would I be where I am today if he never had passed away before I was born? What if? I do feel an influence occasionally...I even had a dream about him not too long ago. Of course I didn't know what he looked like but in my dream I knew it was him and I remembered hugging him and he would quietly smile as if to say "I know who you are...I've watched you all along and I'm proud of you."

Papa Ed Willis stepped into some very big shoes when he married Meme. He basically took all the children under his wing...blood or marriage...it did not matter. He didn't play favorites. And with God's strength and guidance to lead him, he did an outstanding job with Meme in raising all of the kids, grandkids, and greatgrands in the way things should be...in church..in Christ.

So on March 7, 2007 when Pop passed away, I often like to think that he woke up that morning and saw my grandfather Harold sitting there with a big smile on his face and saying "Thanks Ed...you've done well...let's go Home."