miss. celena

I know a lady named Miss. Celena.
she's 83 years old and has curly white hair.
she always wears a strand of pearls and a cross around her neck.
she was a stranger until Friday night and I may never see her again.
but I won't ever forget her, that's for sure.

Collin and I went out with our friends Drake and Alex to a local dive,
Judge Beans BBQ.
it's one of our favorite joints in town
and a place that feels like home.
it's owned by a buddy and a friend was playing that night.
there's always an eclectic crowd and a broad age group of folks at JB's which makes for great conversations
and a fun group on the dance floor.
by the end of the night you're friends with everyone
and it's just a darn good time.

soon after we got there, Collin & Drake sat down
with a story to share.
they learned that Miss. Celena,
the lady that had been sitting at the table behind us
yes, the one tapping her foot
and clapping her hands to
every. single. song.

has terminal
cancer
and doesn't know how much longer she will
live

but through a chuckle and a smile
as big as the moon
she told those boys:
she's just going to
"dance her way into the next life"

y'all, Alex and I immediately teared up,
we did our best to hold it together,
but our hearts were nearly bursting open.

so you better believe, Collin and Drake
put her dancin' shoes to work...

Miss.Celena stole our hearts.
and really everybody's there that night.

we all spent time talking to her and come to find out, she has become the adopted grandmother, in a sense,
to a member of the band
a young guy from Mississippi here in music city chasing a dream.
she goes to watch their band play wherever & whenever and even travels with them (!)...they love her to bits.
she never stopped smiling or tapping her feet
and she closed the place down with us that night.

I sat down with her and took her hands in mine,
as they shake uncontrollably.
through her trembling and quiet voice she told me she used to play guitar and sing every single day.
you see she was in a band in her heyday.
and she was the star of the show.

those days are long gone but she still lives by herself.
and she sure is proud of that, rightly so.
but because of the chemo treatments, the medication and the tubes that routinely have to go in her throat, is hurts too much speak, much less sing...
so she told me she just "let's her feet do the singin'."

as we were talking,
the band was playing willie nelson's
"angel flying to close to the ground"

and it was no coincidence.
this I know.