Close to Nowhere

Beth was never on time for anything in her life. So, it was no surprise when hospice called her family in last Friday to say their goodbyes, that she wasn’t ready to go. True to her entire life, she waited until Sunday evening to let go and let God.

I can just see Jesus standing at the gates tapping his foot and saying, “Where is she? She should have been here yesterday.”

One other certainty about Beth was her joy, trust and faith in God. I’ve seen a picture, on Facebook of course, of a young woman laughing with joy and throwing herself in the arms of Christ. I imagine that’s what Beth did Sunday evening.

I met Beth, who came to call herself my little sister, when The South Reporter bought The Marshall Messenger. With that deal, we got our first MacIntosh computer and Beth.

She and I both moved to Mississippi in the mid-1980s. I went to work for The South Reporter and she worked at The Messenger. We didn’t realize at the time, that not only were we adding to our work family, we were adding to our family of the heart.

When the newspaper bought new computers and a whole new system, we all went to Clinton to a seminar to learn how to work the newfangled contraptions. We stayed at the Cabot Lodge, which hosted a free “Happy Hour,” in the evening. I had my first mixed drink ever there (pineapple juice and Amaretto, which I loved). We all had a drink except for Beth. She didn’t drink anything, even white wine. She noticed me noticing, but we didn’t talk about it until later. It turned out she was pregnant with her first baby and wasn’t taking any chances. Don’t ask me how I knew that, but I did.

She had some problems with that pregnancy but she and husband Perry welcomed their first child, a son David, soon after. A couple years later they had another son, Ben, and she stayed home from work a while — well, work at the newspaper anyway. She became justly famous for her wonderful, beautiful, delicious cakes. She could make anything and she made everything.

Our work family always had Christmas dinners. The ones at her house were spectacular. She often had a Christmas tree in every room.

One memorable Halloween, she had a huge spider covering the roof of their home. She loved to decorate and she was very good at it. She was a cheapskate also.

She could find a bargain! When she and Perry redid their kitchen, she scrounged everywhere finding stuff on half price sale or hugely discounted. She was forever decorating or painting something in their big old house on Walthall. She said she couldn’t sew, but she made curtains for the enormous windows and window seat cushions, and she even made her mom a set of luggage. I came to realize that Beth could and would do anything she set her mind to do.

Beth and I talked about everything. She told me wonderful stories about her friends and her family and often asked my advice about parenting. I don’t think I offered any great advice, but it wasn’t long before she was calling me her big sister. She had a brother, but she always wanted a sister, so she said, and I apparently filled that gap.

She certainly filled huge gaps in my life. I imagine everyone loved Beth and I think everyone who knew her loved her, felt like she belonged to them. She had a huge variety of friends who she loved dearly. But Beth loved just about everyone. And she didn’t hesitate to show it.

I’m going to miss my baby sister. I can’t imagine how much Perry, the boys, her mom and everyone else who loved her, is going to miss her.

She would have stayed longer if she could have. She would hate so many are grieving and hurting for her. She’d tell us to cry and then get over it and get on with living — I’m going to do that — get on with living and carry her memory and her love around with me. Beth will always be in my heart.

“Go rest high on that mountain, ‘Girl’ your work on earth is done...” Vince Gill wrote and sang that for his late brother, only he said ‘Son.’

Beth’s earthly work might be done, but I can guarantee that she’s redecorating Heaven right now, and at a bargain price. And she’s going to be late for choir practice.