Goodbye Dennis

My cousin Dennis passed away suddenly Saturday.......his funeral is tomorrow.  His dad and mine were brothers.  My dad's family was small, he and two brothers.  Both his brothers and their families lived by his parents......I have thought so much about my visit to their houses.
When we would visit Mamie and Johnnie ( daddy's parents) I always went to both uncle's houses to visit my cousins.

I remember Uncle Cecil and Aunt Mary ( Dennis' parents ) and Uncle James and Aunt Inez so well. I remember their Christmas trees, foods that they cooked, all the time that we cousins played together.  None of us had much, our homes were very small and modest, but there was no doubt that we were loved.

Our families were small to start with, they are even smaller now.......Dennis' sister Carolyn is the only sibling left in his family.  James Ray and Jerry are the only sons of James and Inez and then there is my sister Pat, my brother Ricky  and me.  My mother's family was larger, but now even most of them are gone.  It is sad to think of family gatherings and realize that more are gone than are here.  But, that is life.

My cousin Carolyn made the remark that grief was really more self-pity for us now, because yes, we are sad, but we also feel sorry for ourselves and the loneliness of missing our families.
I think that is true......I looked around tonight and realized how quickly time had passed, and how it seemed we all had aged overnight.......Carolyn was right, I do feel a great deal of self-pity tonight, I miss my parents and grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins.

Goodbye Dennis, RIP