loquacious

I learned a new word this week.
It rolls off your tongue:)
I don't hear it in normal conversations in my circle, and have forgotten it from my college days, but it was used in the most tender and kind characterization of Mrs. Elizabeth Turlington West, my dear daughter-in-law's grandmother, at her Memorial service Thursday morning. She died earlier in the week after living a full and rich 96 years!
The service was at the historic Hay Street United Methodist Church in Fayetteville where Mrs. West was a devoted member for the majority of her century on earth.
Rev. Tyson elequently shared about the character of 'Elizabeth'. He made you yearn to have met this lady and to have heard at least one of her stories, especially of Fayetteville:) A friend of Elizabeth's, sitting next to me, offered that Rev. Tyson would fall asleep now and then listening to her:)

Now Kelley probably heard her share of stories from this 'loquacious' lady as a little girl growing up. She perceived her as a tiny 'Queen Bee', much in charge of her domain, and probably not too interested in what a young girl was thinking about or was involved in, but determined to tell Kelley something she wanted Kelley to know:) That may happen when grandmas are so much older.

(Unlike Mrs. West, my Grandma Blue wasn't a talker and didn't have many conversations with me that I remember. But, like Kelley's grandmother West, she was 60 years older than me (Mrs. West was close to 70 years older than Kelley) and not a warm cuddly grandma. What a generation gap that is!)

Ironically, Kelley's dad Paul, an only child, is rather quiet and not 'loquacious' at all! Guess he grew up listening:) Kelley is a listener too, like her dad:)

Now, I tend to be 'loquacious' at times, talkative, chattering, babbling, wordy. I do hope that word won't be what people remember above all about me though, especially since I'm a Stephen Minister, trained to listen! What is the old saying? Something like "Keep your mouth closed and people think you're wise; open your mouth and you remove all doubt that you're not!

I wish I had known 'loquacious' Elizabeth:)