...Come On!

Yesterday in the early morning hours my kind, beautiful, hilarious, life-loving, courageous, Aunt Barbara Kelly Kotmair stepped into heaven.  Barb fought a tough five year battle with cancer and WON! I say won because I know that she is seeing Jesus face to face and hearing “Well done my good and faithful servant.”

Aunt Barb is my mom’s baby sister and the youngest daughter of Virgil & Ruth Kelly’s eight children (5 boys & 3 girls). So as you can imagine after 72 years of life, she has a huge family.  Now, when most people say “family” they are referring to “immediate” family, siblings or children. Not the Kelly’s! When we say family we mean siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, second cousins, cousins twice removed and so on. We stick together like super glue on fingers or bubble gum on shoes.  The Kelly’s are the loudest, craziest, most opinionated, stubborn, people in the world. But…they are also the most loving, caring, giving, hospitable, hardworking, accepting and generous people you will ever have the privilege of knowing. 

It has been our tradition over the last 11 years, due to so many of us scattered all over the United States, to have a Kelly family reunion every three years.  I can’t tell you how many times the 70+ Kelly’s have infiltrated a hotel or restaurant and total strangers will come up to us with the same question…”How can we join your family?”  The beautiful part of that is the answer is and has always been…” Come On!”  This “Come On” attitude was passed down from my grandparents. I called them Pappy & Mammy. I have heard story after story of how Pappy & Mammy would welcome people into their modest home for weeks, months and even years. The Kelly kids would bring home a friend who needed a place to stay and without question there was room made for them in the already tight quarters.  Even through my 50 years watching as boyfriends, girlfriends, new wives, new husbands and stepchildren entered “the family” the open arms and “come on” has continued. They immediately knew they were welcome and they were loved.  

The next few weeks are going to be very lonely for all of the Kelly’s until we gather on November 15^th to celebrate the beautiful life of my Aunt Barb. There will be tears and laughter. There will be stories and prayers. It will be like so many times before where we will lean on one another and hold fast to the fact that we are strong and we are family. The hardest part will be that a bright light in our family will be missing.  Aunt Barb’s infectious laugh will not be heard and her tight loving hugs will not be felt.  The loss is great but I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that she has now experienced absolute healing and feeling inexpressible joy!  Every promise of God is now fulfilled in her life and all sad things have become untrue.  I can just imagine that moment as Aunt Barb stepped into the awesomeness of heaven and heard the undeniable voices of my Mammy & Pappy as they smiled and said…Come on!

Just Sayin'

KJ