Mayberry Mourns

What a sad, sad day.
In what has to be a national tragedy, beloved actor Andy Griffith, who raised untold generations of kids with his tv son Opie, has passed at 86. I have literally shed tears as if my own grandfather had breathed his last, again.
If that wasn't enough sadness, a local celebrity (how he would laugh), has fought the great fight and lost. Ken "K.C." Carlisle, was one of the first people I had business dealings with when I moved to Dothan, almost 17 years ago. A nicer guy you couldn't have conjured.
As sad as it is, I don't think KC could have asked for better than going out with Andy. Both will be missed and probably for many of the same reasons. The easy smile, the natural warmth, and the feeling that you are among family, are qualities that seem to fit both. As much as I wish l could claim to be friends with either or both, this is just the ramblings of an acquaintance (at best) and a fan.
As a human, it makes me wonder... What legacy will I leave?
From someone who oft doubts the very existence of an afterlife, the sure confidence with which Andy sang the old standards like "I am Bound for the Promised Land", and "When We All Get To Heaven" almost serves as proof positive that he will be playing his old guitar on the front porch with several old friends tonight.
Maybe tomorrow he and KC will go fishing.