Saying goodbye

Hello my faithful readers:

It has been quite sometime since I've written a post here lots has changed for me -

• I moved out of NYC to LA for a great job in 2015...
• Decided to move on from that job just a couple of weeks go... 
• Adopted an adorable chiweenie named Ginger... 
• Bought a car (I love driving)...
• I woke up...

I say all of that to say that 2016 has been a challenging year for upset and loss (we lost David Bowie, Prince, Gwen Ifill and many others this year).  We also recently elected Donald Trump as Pres. of the USA in one of the nastiest elections I've ever seen.  We've also seen lots of black men and women get killed by the police.  It's been tough for me personally emotionally and I haven't written anything on my blog in a while.  I promise that I will finally write more now that I have more time... I'm still processing and unpacking how I feel.  It's a lot.

I didn't talk much about it at the time, but I lost my grandmother, Lucy Albritton in April. Because life was busy, I didn't really get much time to grieve. This loss was huge and in some ways I'm still dealing with the effects of not being able to talk to her and get reassurance that everything will be alright...  I did want to share with you the words I said at her funeral on April 9, 2016.  This is a rough approximation because I made a few edits to it... maybe it will touch some of you.

Today we come together to celebrate the life of my grandmother Lucy “Lulu” Albritton.  For those that don’t know me – I’m Gleana Albritton, the eldest daughter of one of Lulu’s three sons, El Douglas Albritton, Jr. (or Boot as she would lovingly call him).  Today I want to share with you the great impact Lulu had on my life learned from watching her over the years.

First and most importantly, Lulu taught me all about how important it was for me to have my own relationship with God.  She modeled her faith for me by showing how important it was to bless others through service.  Lulu always made sure to help so many in the community and her circle of friends by running food giveaway and social programs for the elderly, even as recently as a couple of years ago.   She kept doing it until she no longer could.  Lulu always encouraged me to pray (almost every conversation ended with her telling me this) and if she felt like I needed it, she would always guide me to a scripture.   I believe Lulu learned these same lessons as a young girl by watching her grandmother back in Talbotton, GA and I’m grateful that she passed this on to me.   So if you don’t remember anything else from this celebration, I hope I can encourage someone here today to develop their own relationship with God.

Lulu was also a master storyteller – on any given Sunday I remember sitting around and laughing with the family as she regaled us with her stories.  She loved to tell stories about family most of all and I learned so much about my dad and his siblings by just sitting there and listening.  The tales would get bigger and bigger each and every time she told them.  She loved to tell the story about the time we took a trip to visit my aunt Charlotte (Aunt Peachy to me) ito Macon on the greyhound bus.  It was on this trip that we made a stop and the way she told it – I asked her to buy some candy for me and that I wanted to save some of it for my Aunt Peach.  We got back on the bus and continued on down the road and I asked for my candy.  She asked me – “What about you saving it for Peachy? “ and according to Lulu, I replied “I ain’t studdin Peachy.” It was through these countless re-tellings of the stories – you saw just how much she loved her family and friends so remember to pass along your family stories too. 

Most importantly for me, my grandmother encouraged me to be brave. It was because of her encouragement that I believed I could do anything I put my mind to…she was my champion and always had an encouraging word for me whether it was related to my move to NYC, my travels (she would always tell me to watch out, because there was so much going on), she always said she was proud of me and that she knew I would survive because I was smart.  She always spoke a word of life and encouragement to me and I know she did this for countless others.

Lulu made such an impact on me and I hope that I can make her proud by continuing her legacy through my relationship with God, becoming a better storyteller and encouraging others to be brave.  Thank you for coming out to help our family to celebrate the life of Lucy “Lulu” Albritton today.  May God bless and keep you all.   

Mwuah,

Georgia Peach

RIP - Paul Timothy James, Jr.

Hello my faithful readers:

I lost a friend this past weekend.  Paul Timothy James, Jr was probably one of the few people that knew me best about 10 years ago.  He was like the big brother I never had; one of my biggest cheerleaders who made me believe I could (and should) do anything I set my mind to do.

It doesn't feel like Paul is gone.  I had not been close to him in years, although I was blessed to have caught up with him sometime last year, after we fell out of touch for quite a few years.   Social media was the sliver that connected us after all these years and for that I'm thankful to the power of Facebook for giving us even that briefest connection.

Paul always saw me as way more interesting and intelligent than I ever saw myself.  He was always encouraging me to strike out on my own and start my own business and we even worked for a while on producing a concert series called "Grown Folks Music."  We even went as far as trade-marking the name, but that's just the nature of Paul, always working on something.  There was always something going on with him and he was a man of great character - always fighting for the underdog in every situation.

The one thing that strikes me about Paul was that he had so many different friends from so many different walks of life.  Intellectually I always knew this, but it was made evident when I visited him at the ICU in his last week here on earth at Brooklyn Methodist Hospital.  I met people that I'd heard him reference over the years as well as people I'd never even heard of - people who mattered in his life.  That's the thing about Paul James, he took people under his wing and took care of them, even if he hadn't seen you in years, you had the assurance that he would remember you and give you the shirt off his back if that's what you needed at the time.

Paul James lived every last drop out of his life.  He was a warrior, fighting until the end, although he always fought more for everyone else than for himself.  I wish that he was still here so that I could give him one last hug and tell him (when he was awake to hear me), just how much he meant to me.  He was someone who knew me well, at a time when I probably didn't know myself.  I lost my big brother from another mother and right now I'm a bit numb right now.  In my way of coping, I can just pretend that he's off visiting with friends.  In reality, I won't ever get the chance to say to him what I should have said when he was alive to hear it, "I love you man, thank you for being my big brother.  I will miss you."

Peace and blessings to everyone who was touched by Paul for those who loved him know that he's in a much better place right now and maybe, just maybe, he's finally allowing someone to help him on the other side.

Paul Timothy James, Jr. (July 24, 1960 - July 20, 2013)

Best regards,

Georgia Peach