BIGGER THAN YESTERDAY

This eulogy  was read by our good friend Victor Wilson at Steve Cook’s funeral in Nashville on February 16, 2o1o.    I had written over 30 “Dear Papa” letters  from Jackson on the Caring Bridge site for Steve.  It was a great way to imagine what Jackson might be thinking.  Using Jackson’s voice allowed a way into thoughts that would have gotten lost as an adult.   This was a harder one to write because alot had to be covered, and it was the first one to be spoken aloud, not read as written word on his blog.   It was also the first one Steve would not get to read….although it certainly felt like he was all around us…and still is.

( a couple of notes:  Uncle John is our 91 year old uncle, GeGe (pronounced gee-gee by Jackson) is Janet, Aunt Kay was Uncle John’s wife of 72 years, Elijah is a Jewish prophet who we leave the front door open an  a cup of wine out for at the Seder)

Dear Papa,

Papa, Uncle John keeps telling the same joke to everyone and it goes like this, “If God tells me he is coming at 9:00 to get me, I will tell him I will be ready, but could he make it 9:30.”

Papa, so many times these past months you talked about being so happy waking up on the green side of the grass – and I was wondering what you meant since all the grass in Nashville now is so brown. Is it because you always saw the grass as green, the days as sunny, and a clean kitchen counter the perfect spot to crack an egg? Continue reading →