The One with “Hey Darlin”

“Hey Darlin.”

Giggles. 

“That’s how your dad always greets me.”

A couple of weeks ago my Best Favorite and I unexpectedly raced across Kansas to be with family in Colorado. 

Arriving in her hospital room, I said, “hey darlin” just as I had the first time I visited her after I started dating her grandson and just as my dad had for many years before that. 

There’s something intimately special about spending time with a loved one in their final moments on this earth. The stories. The affirmations. The connection and care. The palpable love, even though it’s salty with tears. 

Because I was so young when my own grandparents died, I've always wondered what it would have been like to know them as an adult. It’s not lost on me just how incredibly lucky I am to have been given that opportunity with Dee. I loved her not only because I once again had a grandma to hang out with, but because of her influence, independence, and how she loved my Best Favorite. 

Whenever I catch a western movie on TV, read a good crime book, spot a stray cat hanging around nearby, work in the garden, eat Cheetos, or dine at Olive Garden or Red Lobster, I’ll think of Dee and say “hey darlin”. 

Let’s raise a glass (of red beer) and give cheers to the 92 years that Dee lived and loved.