Good-bye Chet... =(

 

Back in July I posted a blog about my volunteering at my grandma's nursing home...  I'm not able to volunteer anymore because my work schedule has changed, but I still go there several times a week to visit everybody...

Today, I heard the bad news that my good buddy Chet passed away yesterday morning.  He has been in an out of the hospital a few times lately, and just wasn't doing very well.  Even though he was loved at the nursing home, and was always loving life... i'm sure Chet's in a better place now.

I wish I could've spoken to him before it happened... his family had been visiting a lot and my mom and I never had the opportunity to go in and say HI.

I'll never forget how his face would light up when I'd help him with his Pokeno card... "Thanks Darlin!  I wouldn't have won without you!" all the whilst rubbing my leg. =)  Just stopping by his room to ask how he was doing would make him light up.

Here's are some excerpts from an earlier blog, written July 12, 2008, about Chester Burpo:

"After blackjack, my mom and I start setting up the room for Pokeno. For those of you who don't know, Pokeno is BINGO, but with playing cards... you have a card with 25 pictures of playing cards on it, and when the caller holds up a card, and it's pictured on your card... you cover it. Pretty easy, except... my job is to basically play 20 cards at once-- all around the room. =) My mom calls the cards, and I have to wander around the room, by certain people who can't see the cards or pay attention for very long, and make sure they got it covered. One day, this man Chester (Chet), was playing and he couldn't really see his card... so I just hung out with him, made sure he had everything my mom called and... he won 3 times. Now Chet and I are inseparable. =)

This last Wednesday I went to find Chet because he didn't show up for Pokeno... I went to his room, and found out that he had had pneumonia all week. =( He invited me in and he must've been feeling much better because he kept hitting on me, like the Good Ol' healthy Chet I knew.

Let me tell you though, Chet has a picture of himself as a man about my age in his room-- and he was pretty damn cute!

As I was leaving the room I told him to "Have a great day!" and he goes "You too! But wait a second.... what if I didn't say that back, would you be offended?" and I go "Well, not offended... but I would've thought you didn't hear me." and he goes "See, that's America." He went into this long profound lecture about American's always wanting to "settle the score." It makes sense to me, and is really something to think about, but it was too profound for me to be able to type into words. =)

I wish I could explain in words how great this feeling is... but even after my Grandma checks out and comes back home, which she could soon (she's doing so well!), i'm going to keep volunteering...
I don't want Chet hitting on anyone but me!"

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I'll miss you Chet!  Your good attitude, and your smile will always keep me going.

RIP.

Always,

Kels

Remember these songs??

 

"Brick" by Ben Folds Five

I never knew what this song was about... but at 10 years old, I was belting it out.  Apparently I began supporting abortion at a young age.

"Time of your Life" by Green Day

Great tune... will never get old.  I actually remember listening to this song in Glacier National Park and when they said "Take the photographs and still frames in your mind" I tried to mentally take a snapshot of a mountain... and it worked... I think of that every single time I hear this song.

"Crash Into Me" by Dave Matthews Band

Another one of those... little did I know I was singing about hiking up a girl's skirt... but still, great tune.

"All My Life" by KC & JoJo

Probably the cheesiest song i've ever heard... and reminds me all too much of thinking I was in love in 8th grade and seeing the guy I was in love with dancing with my best friend.

"No Rain" by Blind Melon

Whenever you feel out of place... just think, you could be dressed in a home-made costume with a ridiculous striped stocking on your head and harry potter glasses, running through the streets like a homeless bumblebee.

"Spider Webs" by No Doubt

I got grounded because Melissa and I kept changing my family's answering machine message to the chorus of this song... I wonder how many other girls actually did that.

"Black Hole Sun" by Sound Garden

I thought melting my Barbie dolls on a barbecue grill was the coolest thing ever... until I got caught.

"Gansta's Paradise" by Coolio

I hated Coolio.  H-A-T-E-D Coolio.  And in 6th grade I pretended to like him because all the cool kids did.  I regret that decision every single day of my life.

"Bitch" by Meredith Brooks

I got to say the word "Bitch" when I sang along with this song... so it was probably the coolest song ever.  Just like Melissa used to blast a song by Alanis Morisette so the cute next door neighbor would think she's cool for playing a song with the word bitch in it.

I love hearing songs that take me back to a certain time and place... it's as close as we'll ever get to reliving our childhood.

Kenny Chesney describes this feeling best in the song "I Go Back":

"We all have a song that somehow stamped our lives...
Takes us to another place and time.
So I go back to a pew, preacher, and a choir
Singing about God, brimstone, and fire...
And the smell of Sunday chicken after church.
And I go back to the loss of a real good friend,
And the sixteen summers I shared with him...
Now "Only The Good Die Young" stops me in my tracks...
Every time I hear that song, I go back, I go back."

What songs take you back and why??  Think about it... and get back to me!

Always,

Kels