Somewhere beautiful…

I was around 8 years old and I remember thinking Kellye Smitherman was the prettiest thing I had ever laid eyes on.

I am 46 now and I still believe it.

When I was lucky enough to go somewhere with her and my cousin Tammie, she was always kind. They were 8 years older and the coolest of teenagers.

Years later, I remember riding with them to the store as a teenager myself. I sat in the car while they went in. Kellye comes out with a red lipstick. “Here Cheryl, this will look good on you.”

There is a special kind of beauty that she owns and you feel when you are in her presence. I can only describe it by saying that she makes you feel beautiful.

When the prettiest woman in the room walks up to you and compliments your outfit or your makeup, you feel special.

She makes mental notes and wants to help. She has brought me extra silverware when it was needed without asking.

She has laughed at my jokes before I told them. She starts laughing and says, “I know it’s going to be funny.”

But even sweeter is the Kellye you get to know when you are hurting and brokenhearted. She has a comforting nature.

She would and has run errands for me and helped clean my house. Most people don’t volunteer for that, especially in a way that makes you feel relieved.

Some friends love your kids, but old friends loved your grandparents.

She can see beauty in scarred furniture and scarred people. That is what makes me love her even more. She does not discard, she mends or finds beauty in the flaws.

When I started working on my blog, she bought me a journal and let me borrow a laptop. When I said to someone that my blog was born from heartache, she said,” Sometimes the best things in life are, look at songs…”

Always encouraging. Always.

Not many people can take care of 3 generations and carry laundry baskets full of dishes. Jeff picked up something she sat down once and said, “I have a whole new respect for Kellye Burt.” I laughed and said, “She carried it wearing high heels.”

She is hard to keep up with and has been my hero my whole life.

Happy birthday Kellye Burt!

Wherever you are, just because you are there, it is somewhere beautiful…

I love you forever,

Cheryl