Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes?

"You know this old world is full of singers  But just a few are chosen to tear your heart out when they sing.

Imagine life without them, all your radio heroes."  George Jones

This is a song about who's gonna fill the shoes of singers and heroes, but I'm thinking more about who's gonna fill the shoes of family and friends that I have lost.   The first person that comes to mind is my Mama Highfield and my grandpa or as some of us grandkids called him Daddy Bill.  Now ya'll that have been following me know I don't really follow the rules, so I called him Grandpa.  He didn't like that at first but then he got use to it I think.  How I would love to be able to talk to Mama Highfield and have a batch of her tea cakes.  Lord have Mercy she made the best and just to hear Grandpa yell at the TV when the ballgames were on.  I'm pretty sure he never like the Yankees.

My next person that no one can ever fill her shoes is my Aunt Dot.  Bless her heart she did the best she could at keeping me straight.  I'm thinking I was the only one she couldn't, but she tried hard as she could.  She would call me and we would talk about everything.  She would say "sherry Smith, what have you done now.:"  Lord I hated telling her sometimes.  But she could always tell in my voice something was wrong.   My funny story about Aunt Dot is she tried up until she couldn't tell me any more to fix me up with an
 ex -boyfriend.  He would go by to visit her and every time she would call me that night and say "Guess who came to see me today."  I always knew who she was talking about.  A few people have tried her trick since she's gone on to her heavenly home and I always say to them..."IF my Aunt Dot couldn't make it happen, then it ain't gonna happen."  Gotta love her.

"Who's gonna fill their shoes?, who's gonna stand that tall?"
These two lines brings me to my friend I lost to cancer a few years ago.  He  stood 6'4" and he was ever bit the giant in everything about him.  He didn't play the Opry or the Wahbash Cannonball but he gave his heart and soul in everything he did.  He fought his battle with cancer up to the very last day.  He lived every day like it was his last and that my friends is why I admired him so much!   This giant of a man made every day count.  He cherished every minute he had with family and friends.  He made us laugh 'til we were crying.   OMG how I miss this man and his love for life.  Andrew I know you're having a good time walking those streets of gold, but I sure do miss you and I really wished Heaven had a stairway or maybe a phone line.  But then I would never want to leave and I would never want to hang up the phone.  It would be one of those things like "you hang up, no you hang up." until we just fell asleep holding the phone.   

 Lord I wonder who's gonna fill those shoes?  Well I can tell you about the shoes to fill for these important people that I've lost.  I don't think anyone can fill them.  They might try really hard, but no one and I mean no one could fill these shoes like Mama Highfield, Grandpa, Aunt Dot and Andrew because they'ye bigger than life itself in my eyes and if they're big, not one person I know can stand that tall.

My lesson today?  Again I'm not really sure, but if you have lost someone and you're asking the question "who's gonna fill their shoes?"well stop wondering about it because I'm sure no one can fill the shoes of your loved ones like no one can fill mine. Live your life so that when you're gone, others will be asking who's gonna fill YOUR shoes.  I'm pretty sure no one can fill mine because my mama says there will never be another one like me.  Thank the Lord I'm sure she's whispering thinking I don't hear. 

  Bless Them All Ya'll.
  Sweet Southern Sass