Leave no turn unstoned...

My mother died in a place called Christopher House. It’s part of Hospice Austin and I was impressed with the care and attention and compassion with which she was treated in her final days. Outside the Christopher House is a beautiful garden with a fountain, shady tree, leafy plants and flowers. But what most grabbed my attention were the cobblestones. The whole courtyard is paved with stones, but hundreds of them bear messages from friends and families of former patients at this unique place.
I walked around the grounds, skimming the messages. Most were straightforward: “We miss you,” or “God bless you Memaw.” Others, however, made me want to hear the stories behind them. One bore a name and the cryptic equation: “Infinity X Love.” Another made me smile: “Randy you got a brick!”
Some had musical references: “SWEET AS TUPELO HONEY.” “BRANDIE YOU’RE A FINE GIRL.” (Remember that song?) Underneath one woman’s name: “SWEETHEART OF HARMONY.” One was for George, “WHO LOVED MOVIES.”
Perhaps my favorite was a sentiment that required two bricks to complete it: “NEVER HAD A SHORT STORY” followed by “& SHE’S PROBABLY STILL TALKING”
It’s hard to know what we leave behind, hard to foresee how someone is going to sum up our lives in a handful of words. As I write this, I’m working on a message to deliver at my mom’s funeral. I’m not going to be able to limit myself to half a dozen words, I’m afraid. I can’t yet boil down my feelings to something that short, that poignant. But I’ve already decided that I’m going to buy one of those stones…or two or three…once I figure out what to say.
Some of those things were already said, in the days before Mom died. We told her we loved her, that she’d been a great mother, that she would soon be in a better place, free from pain, that we appreciated all she had done for us. Maybe I'll go with something like “TELL DADDY HELLO” or “CAN YOU SEE MY HOUSE FROM THERE?” Or maybe I'll cop out and just say "THANK YOU."
When I really think about it…there just aren't enough stones to say it all.
"SEE YOU LATER, MOM."