If you've been reading here a while, you have probably seen a post or two about visiting Gaither Family Resources. If you're new here, and/or not a southern gospel groupie, you probably have no idea what I'm talking about!
It's a restaurant, it's a store, it's a coffee shop...it's wonderful! And it has a special place in our hearts, too, because we ate lunch there the day Ryan asked me to be his girlfriend! It was also the coffee shop of our choice when we toured Madison County.
At the beginning of this month, we read the news that Bill and Gloria Gaither decided to close GFR so they can focus their time, energy, and resources on what stirs their souls the most: music. The store and restaurant will close permanently on March 1, which gave people about a month to stop by one last time, have one last meal, and shop one more time.
Ideally it would have been great to go back with Ryan, but alas, our schedule doesn't permit it right now. BUT! My mom invited me to join her and one of her friends for a final outing yesterday. I said yes! (Of course.) We had a beautiful day, which was a blessing, since the forecast for today looks very different.
We discovered when we arrived that MANY other people had the same idea we did. The place was absolutely packed. (We learned you could have made a reservation, so if any of your local people are planning to make a last pilgrimage of your own, there's a tip for you!) We had to wait a little while for a table, but the food was worth the wait.
This is Mom and her friend, Sharon:
I absolutely LOVE their frappes. They've always been the best. Super creamy. So I determined I wanted one more. And it did not disappoint.
We did some shopping, and I was very proud of myself for not buying MORE. I got a couple of books, a CD for Ryan's mom, and a little writing treasure for myself. And I got this Christmas ornament to add to our collection. In addition to the sentimental attachments I already told you about, this particular song was part of our wedding, so it is meaningful to us! I am looking forward to adding this to our tree later this year, with its beautiful story attached.
One last picture for the road:
Thanks, Mom, for inviting me to join you! It was a fun day. I'll miss this little place, and I'm glad I got to say goodbye.
5 comments:
Always so sad when a favorite place like that is going to close!
I think I might have mentioned this in the past, but I had the Bill Gaither Trio album called, "Especially for Children" when I was little. As an adult, I made a cassette tape of it and would listen to it on long trips. More recently, I've listened to the album on YouTube. There were such good lessons in those songs, and it makes me cry when I listen to it because I think of how much society has changed since then.
My favorite song on the album is "This Little Light of Mine." It's such an awesome version! It's starts out really mellow, but then it jams!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1amQWpXPF9c
You've made me sentimental as well as sad...sentimental remembering the good times visiting and shopping at GFR with Steve and with Lynette, in particular. Also sad it is closing but it is a huge venture and I can understand the need to prioritize. So glad you had a final visit. Lois
My parents and I made one last trip a couple of weeks ago. It made me sad too!
Tamar - Yes it is!! (And this is why I try to have lots of favorites!)
Tracy - I'm going to go listen to this! I actually dont' think I've heard this one!
Lois - I'm so glad you got to experience it when you lived here!
Marissa - Did you find a treasure to remember it by? I hope so!
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