Pastor Brothers began to read the passage through cries of sorrow and calm praises of hallelujah and thank you JESUS and through faint prayers to the LORD. Once Pastor Brothers had finished with the scripture, he opened the floor to the guest. Slowly they began to form a line to reveal their love for Jes. Tanya, who was seated closest to the podium, spoke first.
"Hello to all of you," she said with a trembling voice as she wiped
away her tears and calmed herself. "I have been acquainted with Jes for
quite a long time, but in all that time I have only known her for the last
year. I wish that I could have had enough courage to befriend her years
before I did because she was a wonderful person to be around and to
know. I can never get that time back.
I finally got the opportunity to
begin a friendship with Jes when I needed someone to talk to. Someone
who didn't know what I was going through in my life and who could give
to me honest input. Now if you know Jes, you know that she didn't bite
her tongue, she gives it to you straight, and that is what I needed."
Several of the guest agreed with laughter as Tanya continued. "We
talked over lunch, I told her some things about me and what I had been
going through and she never batted an eye. More importantly, she never
looked at me any differently after that day. Since then, we have been
inseparable. Jes," Tanya said looking at Jes' casket, "I am still with you
my sister, we are still inseparable." Tanya began to cry as she told Jes
that she loved her and that it hurts her because she will never have the
opportunity to thank her for being such a good friend.
Cupid had gotten
out of his seat and stood close by the podium to assist Tanya if she
couldn't get her emotions under control. Tanya wiped away her tears as
Sister Hemp told her that it was ok to cry. Tanya paused as she looked
toward Gwen and told her that she still had a sister in her from this day
on. Gwen nodded her acceptance as Tanya walked away from the
podium into Cupids arms. Sister Hemp took the podium next. She
looked at Gwen and smiled to let her know that all would be fine before
she began to talk about Jes.
"Good afternoon and thank you for coming to pay your respects to our
beloved Jessica. Now I'll tell you something funny. Jessica, to me, was
my daughter. She never knew that I loved her that way because
whenever we were in the other's presence we would butt heads
something terrible. Like a mother, who thinks she knows what's best for
her grown daughter and a daughter trying to let her over protective
mother know that she is grown we'd butt heads.
That wasn't the funny
thing that I was trying to tell you. The funny thing is that I never got the
chance to tell her that I loved her like she was my own daughter. That is
what hurts the most. I never got the chance to tell her that I loved her so
much. You know, if only I could have taken just one of those moments
we spent going at it every time we saw one another, to say 'Jessica I love
you', maybe we could have had that mother-daughter relationship.
'Cause I really love Jessica as though she were my own daughter. Mama
loves you baby," Sister Hemp said as she looked at Jes' casket. "I love
you baby," she reiterated as she walked away from the podium.
Many of Jes' co-workers and friends spoke shortly. Most of them
wanted Gwen to know that she wasn't alone through the ordeal and they
would be there for her if she needed anything. As the line began to
shorten, Mr. Davis walked gingerly to the podium to give account for his
relationship with Jes.