So....

We all have our pet peeves-

- drivers who don't use a turn signal and cut you off from the farthest left side fast lane before they miss their exit

- students in a class that keep asking questions that were already answered  by the instructor and you just want to get out of there and do something- anything- else

- adults who refuse to turn off the sound of their clinging smart phone games while in a waiting room

- having to push "1" for English when calling for assistance only to get a someone named Pete who barely speaks English and you know for certain his name is NOT Pete

The list goes on.  Here are a couple of ones that just irritate me to no end:

- this noise my son makes when he is bored... it's like he is trying to b-box himself into an acapella group, which would be cool with me if he would just experiment with other sounds not just this one.

- the way my daughter groans like I have just asked to re-roof our house every single time I remind her to do chores and homework

- finally, for my hubby, the way he ends discussions (we don't argue) with "so"- as if that is all the explanation I need and "so" settles it.  Period.

"So" doesn't settle anything.  If anything, it irritates me that much more.

I'm thinking, "So what?", "So, so, suck my toe all the way to Mexico", "So, you are done discussing this and I should just accept it?", "So, buttons?"

What is it you are "So'ing?

What drives me even more mad, is that my kids are now doing this as well.  I think I may make that word a bad word and ban it from my house because obviously, no one knows how to use it correctly.

According to the Webster dictionary (if I can get the pop-up ads to go away- another pet peeve), "so" is an adverb that means to a degree that is suggested or stated, without any doubt.  An example they give is, "can only do so much in a day", not "the day is only 24 hours, so."

I think we should all ban together and end the use of "so" to finalize our arguments with.  Our kids and spouse should know that there is more to a story than just "so".

For example, I could say, "My grandpa, Hank, died yesterday, so".  That doesn't tell you a darn thing except my grandpa died.

Which he did, at around 10:30 in the morning.  A time when he would normally be greeting me and many others at our church with smiles and hugs.

He was sick, so, he died.

Actually, he has been sick and fighting for a long time for his life and loving every minute of the life he was given so....

he was now ready, Hank told his bride, my grandma, that he was ready to go home the night before he died.  So.

Heaven gained another hero and those of us left here on Earth have nothing but memories left. So.

If we left Hank's life at that last, "so" that does nothing for the life he lead fighting for our country in WWII in the Navy.  "So" does nothing for the stories his kids, grand kids, and great grand kids have of him.  And "so" certainly doesn't end the story of his bride, my Grandma who is now a double widow and has a long life left to live.

For whatever reason, I knew the morning that he died that he was gone.  There was such a dramatic peace about him going home that I knew he was already there, or would be soon. So...

Hank was ready.  As far as I know, he had no regrets in his life.  He always spoke his mind, even when tact and social norms dictated him not to speak his mind.  He was that way and that way is how he will be remembered.

I don't think it is a coincidence that this morning I read two questions that Jon Acuff asks in his book, "Start: Punch fear in the face, escape average and do work that matters".

1. If I died today, what would I regret not being able to do?
2. Are those the things I'm spending time doing right now?

So....

Honestly, there are things I regret almost every day not doing.  I regret not writing as much as I desire doing.  I regret not going the extra mile for friends and keeping those relationships alive.  I regret not sharing my story with others as much as I feel God telling me to do.

So....

I'm writing this to all of you now.  So that I have more accountability in doing the things I love with the people I love more.

And so that none of our stories ends with an un-explainable open statement of "so".

Before Hank took his walk to Emmaus, he was lovingly called "Cranky Hank".  After his walk, he found the love of Jesus and was always smiling and sharing his love with everyone.

Hank has always been bald, at lease as long as I've known him.  I love this hat and how it shows a bit of his humor.

You will always be in my heart, Hank. I love you and miss you, and please know that Grandma will be well taken care of, so please just keep on waiting for her... it may be another 30 years before she joins you.