A letter, a mini obit and a poem to everyone back home
To her first little friend Talisha, I heard you and you’re right you were her first little buddy. To Searce, her second mama bear. Vern. Mrs. Schimmele, Salinas, and Dunne. Lei-Lei. Uncle T Redmond. The other champ Carolyn. Marquetta, her other baby sister. Everybody.

I am most compelled to touch base with you all. Thank you for the condolences, they were well received.
It took me a lil minute for this one.

 Sunrise May 18th                                                                                                  Sunset May 28 2019

She is and always will be pride and joy to me. She is beautiful, smart, and a fighter, My Fat A**. My Fat A**, because we both love a good meal. When she was 4 or 5 years old, with the build of a little cartoon teddy bear she became my little Fat A**.

It was about then that she had the starring role of Humpty Dumpty in Pre-K at Williams Elementary School. You should have seen my baby fall off of the makeshift wall. She was incredible!!!
Although that kid grew up to be an RN, the job she reflected most fondly on was when she was a papergirl, which she started at age eleven. Oh my goodness on May 18th Jennifer’s birthday and December 25th, Jesus’ birthday the love she received from you all was phenomenal! She never forgot that. Go N&D!!!
38 years old and she worked 27 of them!!!

She was also kind. We had a neighbor who had a son with an abnormality. On Saturdays she would take her papergirl money and that kid and with the blessings of his mother and myself would go out for all-you-can…did I mention that we like to eat? Now don’t get me wrong here, she was not totally sugar, there was a little salt there too. She could be scrappy. Trust me I know. We had a couple of verbal altercations. Skinny A*

Quick tell: All of my children learned to drive with me in the car. After that what was needed was practice. So I would let them take the car all by themselves and drive a two mile radius (yes I know blocks are square). One day she takes the car and comes back after tweaking her driving skills and says to me “you have to come outside and see the car.” Oh my goodness! My car was across the street on a twelve inch decorative rock that adorned that front lawn. I mean the frame by the passenger door was situated on that stone.
“Fat A**, How did you do that?!!” I still haven’t figured that one out. Call the tow truck.

Thank God she did not have to drive herself on her proms. After graduating high school and completing her fast food job she moved to Florida to be near her favorite Uncle D and his wife and children.

Further education takes money. She found employment at a Gentleman’s Club. Her first license was LPN. Her degree was for RN. We often talked about education and with it she purchased a car, a house and was typically comfortable.

In 2015 I moved to Florida and stayed with her for 3 months and then got my own place. She called me. One day she called me.

From the moment the diagnosis came, I saw a woman. I’ll always see my little girl but I saw a woman take charge of things. It’s hard to detail this part. It’s just hard to write right now. What I will say is I know my arms are too short to box with God. Plus his hands are too quick. During this time you hear, “It’s in God’s hands.” God’s hands? I wanted to know where his door was. Fear God, you bet. Bravery is not absence of fear, it’s going anyway. This was really rough. I did try and talk to Him. I did not want my prayers to end with thank you Father for the 38.

In April of 2019, Jennifer said to me one of the most beautiful things I had heard in a long time. She said she wished I had had my mother. I said to her that I did too. (She passed away when I was very young.) Imagine that, my momma bear still here with me. I told you she was kind.

Oh wee! I would have blah, blah, blah
Because…
And then I thought.
Had I grown to adulthood with my mother I would not have had her.
Life with my mother. Life as it is.

One of our favorite movies is Scent of a Woman. In it the Lt. Col. Asks, “Are you messing with me Charlie?”
As I miss her yet feel her presence, I can only ask, “Are you messing with me Fat A**?”

My Mother or my Fat A**?
Oh my goodness!!!
Well now, we’ve talked about many things over the years. Children. Education. Men. Finances. Life…death.

Let me answer that one too.

To Ms. Jennifer Monique

The time or order was not mine to choose
If I choose either, I will definitely lose

So my Feisty One I will choose neither
Given a choice of 2, know there are 3, the 3rd is don’t choose either

You almost got me with that spring-loaded question, nearly
But you couldn’t trick me, between two that I love so dearly

The memories of my mom are marvelous, just too few
Now I have wonderful memories of you too.

I have a thought and it is like no other
Fa, oops, Jennifer finally gets to meet her grandmother

After so much sadness having to give you back did bring
Fat A**, talk to my mother, laugh with her, dance with her, sing!!!

Well now, I can’t help but feel that little party has already begun
For what I’m feeling now is the presence of two and not just one

I can only imagine which of you initiated this coup
I’ll respond with don’t you young ladies have something better to do

You thought she’ll pick me, you thought she’ll pick me, now you both have egg on your faces
I am really proud to say that I was smart enough not to choose, I beat you both, 2 that sit in Heavenly places

I can’t wait to see you two again and on that you can both bet
But I still have work to do here so we’ll say not just yet

Our life is but a vapor, the time I had with you went to fast
Know this: I love you, I love you, I love you!!! That shout goes to my mom and my Fat Ass

To all that read this letter, be it Duke, Duchess, Sir or Mam
When you converse with your loved ones don’t forget, don’t forget to add this word to the conversation, and that word is… MAMMOGRAM!

Until We Meet Again

We think about you always
We talk about you still
You have never been forgotten
And you never will
We hold you close within our hearts
And there you will remain
To walk and guide us through our lives
Until we meet again

Peace