“Memories:  a mental impression retained; a recollection…”  ~Author Unknown

Rebecca was the first to have a child in our family.  Her and Doug lived in Yellowstone, Montana when Abbie was born.  We would see them a couple of times a year, and talk with her over the phone.  She was (and still is, though now a teen!) the sweetest thing, and I know my dad was head over heels for her.  Back in Michigan, everything came to stop for all of us when Rebecca and Doug came back into town.  My dad would rush home to see them, and if they stopped here at our house first, he would always come over to meet them.

I believe it was in having to say a tough good-bye to Abbie and Kayla that my dad began teasingly saying “See you later alligator!”  All of us would encourage them to respond with “in a while, crocodile!!”  It became the standard parting that transcended to Mark and I’s son, Josh, and Robin and Leo’s daughter, Kaitlyn.  I believe dad even continued to the tradition with Danica, the little girl Robin and Leo fostered until age 2, and we are blessed to still see occasionally.  Dad always had a smile on his face, loved to use humor, and would try to get them to laugh as they were saying good-bye.  No small feat when parting was met with such sweet sorrow that they were not nearer.

As we walked through the cemetery one of the fateful days in October, we were delighted and encouraged by many of the headstones.  Some were so sad; others said little, but here and there, dotted in the landscape, were these funny little sayings.  Some made you laugh even though you were crying.  Still to this day, we like to wander a bit to see what we’ve missed.  Those wonderful sayings in the face of such a tragic situation gave my mom the inspiration to find something that spoke to who my dad was…I like to think, still is 🙂  I am not sure who remembered “See you later alligator” but we all quickly recalled how much dad used that saying when the kids were young…

It just seemed the perfect fit…to remember him by but also in how true, it is.  For we will see him later and in a while (the chorus now for us).  To dad, it will probably only seem like minutes as we are told that a day in heaven is like a 1,000 years here on earth.  For those curious, I believe my mom wants “In a while crocodile” on her side…humor runs strong in our family on both sides!