Nobody Dies

How do we say goodbye
when his soul never leaves us,
when we know one father as All Fathers,
when his voice still echoes inside,
when his love flutters in our hearts?

Say it with a flower in a simple vase,
with a candle lit at sunset,
with great gorilla hands
crossed over the chest
and a tear in the eye
and a smile.

Nobody dies.
Only memory fades.
Nobody dies.

Jun 14, 2006 / Story by Joe Reed:

One evening, perhaps 10 years ago, I was in downtown Asheville having dinner at the Uptown Cafe, my first visit to the restaurant.

We noticed a gentleman having dinner alone, and invited him to share our table, which he cheerfully did. After a time, still clueless as to who was dining with us, my companion made a comment about a photo of Koko with a kitten, hanging next to our table. She said "that's Ball," and he quietly corrected her, and said "no, that was Koko's next kitten."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Pretty sure..." he said, and he introduced himself. What had been an already fascinating dinner became that much more special, and I've cherished the memory of having dinner with such an amazing person ever since.
My own mother passed early last year, and I so know how it must feel to lose your father. But just as I took comfort in knowing that my mother influenced countless students during her teaching career, I hope you can take comfort in knowing that Dr. Patterson made a huge impact worldwide.

I know he did at our little corner booth in the mountains.