Stupid bitch. It’s Chick-fil-A, for crying out loud. You don’t know what they serve? Eight minutes to place an order? And this is the only cashier? All I want is a large iced tea for the ride to Macon. It’s 10:25 AM.
Up I-75 there are cops everywhere, people pulled over everywhere. I’m so fast they can’t see me. Boo!
Find the gig, but it looks like parking is a problem for the people in front of me… I notice a closed car loan business to the left so I quickly pull in there and park.
Throw on a blazer and head across some grass for the funeral home. Oh, joy! Here’s a very formal, professional guy handing me a pamphlet and apologizing for the lack of parking. I assure him that it’s no problem – we’re musicians accustomed to improvisation.
In I go. I see people everywhere. Recognize some heads, some faces. Thank God there’s Benny, siting by the aisle with his brother and inviting me to sit. Butterbean(sic) is in front of us. Perfect. I ask for Lisa and Doyle. Lisa’s up there and Doyle is somewhere – he’s going to play later.
I hustle up to Lisa in the front row and stand behind a lady who is talking with her while I watch a very good slideshow of pictures of Gregg. It dawns on me that some of the pictures are ones that I took, but none of them show me! WTF? It’s OK. There’s one of me, holding up a huge poster that I stole from France. Only I’m behind the poster. I make a note of this. Lisa can expect a letter from my attorney.
I hug Lisa and give her what I brought, explaining what it is. Pictures of Tim and Gregg for her and Doyle, and a gift from my Mama. Lisa stares at me in disbelief that this guy – who hasn’t seen Gregg in years, this guy she only met a couple of weeks ago – his mother has sent a gift. Mama’s a sweet lady, I say. And Mama monitors That Site We Shall Not Name. I tell her to go ahead and open her picture if she wants to. Return to my seat with Benny. A minute later I see someone placing the picture I brought on the table in front of the speaker’s podium. It is the only picture there and I am moved.
The clock chimes ‘leven. Kyler Mosley takes the podium and delivers extemporaneously a welcome/tribute that Faulkner might have been proud to have composed. He then introduces Glenn Harrell, who produces some notes and moves us all to laughter and tears – not an easy thing to do. Glenn does so with grace. By the time he is done any composure left in us is shot.
After that, a man whom I do not know comes to speak and to sing. Apparently, he spent a lot of time with Tim and Gregg talking about Jesus. He speaks with eloquence of their faith and – of particular interest to me – of Gregg’s attitude towards the bullshit of life: Make jokes when you can. Be serious about stuff, but don’t stress over it. Chill. This man hits a note we haven’t heard. Then he sings. I like this guy.
Then Gary Porter comes to the podium, and explains in careful detail how Gregg was not a Gregg Allman impersonator, but a true original – influenced, but not derivative. Too many people made that mistake about him. Gary begins to sing, beautifully. Rhonda, his wife, joins him at the podium and begins “Amazing Grace” and Gary joins in harmony. This goes on a while. Before they’re done, most of the guests are singing with them. Most of us are in tears. At least one of us is covered with tears and snot because there are no tissues handy. You don’t need religion to have spirituality and transcendence – this I know.
Music has been the one constant of my life. It’s taken me places that nothing else could have; it’s made friends I wouldn’t have made; it, and the people who taught me how to play, have given to me solace and relief and belonging. Tim and Gregg Brooks were the biggest part of that. I should have told them that I love them. So long, my friends.
“Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.”
— Dr. Seuss
— PT
PT&TB
Met Gregg at New Wine. He was on the praise team at our church. When he would worship…it would move us in to the throne room of God! Always an open heaven!
So sorry for y- our loss.
Lisa, the pictures of you and Gregg, happiest I’ve ever seen him, So in love and content. Happy! We will surely miss him.
My heart aches for you! My prayers are with you and your family! He was truly a sweet soul!
I was the lady you were standing behind when I was talking to Lisa. I did not realize you were behind me and my husband told me later. I thought it was a lovely service.
I hope it didn’t read as though I was complaining. I didn’t mind one bit, and actually I’m glad you didn’t notice me or you may have felt rushed. It was a good service (is that crass?).
It isn’t crass to say it was a good service because it was. Thanks for your understanding as I really did need to say those things to Lisa. She has gone thru a lot in the last year and I did not call her as much as I should have because I never knew when was a good time, when they were resting, etc. With a sick person in the house any time one calls can be an intrusion into the only peaceful moment that they may have had in hours, even days. But now that unfortunately circumstances have changed I will keep check on her. Thank you again for your understanding.
Listening at length – again – to us play. It occurs to me that we usually sounded better than we looked. I guess I just miss my friends.
Anyway, Mama received a thank you note from Lisa the other day. Amongst all the tributes, etc, she found time to send a note to Mama who she’s never met.