When I cross over, I do not want you to hear the news on Facebook. And if you do, please do not type a bunch of things that you just put together at the last minute. Do not call people that I do not know and ask them if they knew me. I do not want you to talk about how tough it is to find out that I am no longer on this earth. How hard it is to see a picture of me that will not be worth anything the day after my homegoing. Run to my social media pages to see if it is true. Read tons of jumbled posts and words that are from strangers and not you. I want you to get to know me now. Get to know what I am about before reminiscing on when we met, how we met, who introduced us, and how many years we have known each other.
Say my name while I am still breathing and please gossip about the good news and not people while I am still capable of answering your phone calls. Don't you start telling your stories about what we USED to do, where we used to hang out, and how good of a dancer I was Lol? Do not talk about who my crew was, and how shy and funny I appeared to be. Do not talk about how badly I wanted to do a backflip and did not know how to run into one without fear. They still do say that I love music, used to have the highest female high top, and really enjoy dancing to date.
Do not watch me from afar while I disliked BULLIES and defended the smallest fry. Do not forget to tell them how I always had to make my mother proud and that is what kept me grounded. Bring up no crazy memories like when I drank tons of nutriments thinking that it would help me build muscle mass but damn near took me straight to the hospital lol. Or when I left a bag with all of myself and my daughter’s clothes in the back of a cab, sprinted after the cab, driving five blocks only to catch him at a green light to pull it out. Please do not remember the time when I was so mad at my mother for not helping me to buy a pair of crispy white Treton sneakers and while she went into Canal Jeans I angrily stayed outside and got hustled by the bottle cap game for all my Summer Youth money.
And please do not tell anyone that I loved a good tuna fish sandwich with lettuce and tomatoes and extra mayo and cheese. We should just stay connected while you and I are alive and still breathing. Especially after I finished telling you all of that. You cannot brag about how we should have stayed in touch and how you think my family is doing after I am gone. I pray that I am putting a smile on your face RIGHT NOW! Sharing love and motivating you every day while I am STILL here. I pray that I am uplifting your spirits and we are valuing each other while we are both still breathing. We both need to do better! Oh, and do not give me flowers when I am gone because of your guilt for not staying in touch. I like roses so I can continue to smell them, trust me I will be just fine.
Hug Your Loved Ones While They Are Still Here!
A person is never forgotten until the last person that remembers them is gone.
Nicole Norton-Evans