Sunday, December 5, 2010

One last dance

As most of you know, I was adopted. I've always known who my biological mom is (Bonnie) and have maintained a close relationship with her for as long as I can remember. I never call her mom but she is the woman who gave birth to me so obviously we have a close connection. And because of that close connection, I have always cared for her and wished her nothing but the best. She has always deserved to be treated like a lady and her current husband Burnie, did just that. He always put her on a pedestal. He treated her with respect and with faithfulness. One heck of a man.
Burnie Ballard suffered a heart attack and passed away yesterday at the age of 60.
Burnie Ballard grew up and lived in Pageland S.C. He was a respected lawyer and everyone knew him and loved him. He just had that "teddy bear" personality. Although he did not have children of his own, he loved his "step" grand kids dearly. Adored them would be a better description. He was a man of integrity and a eternal spring of knowledge. He was simply "Burnie". A loving husband, a caring grandfather, a wonderful son, and a dedicated friend. To me, he was the man who treated my biological mom like she was born to be treated. And because of that, it is easy for me to call him my "step-dad".
If there is one story I could tell that would help you understand the type of man he was, it would be this: Burnie, Bonnie, my half sister Amanda, and her daughter were visiting for Shae's birthday. We were all at my in-laws house and were sitting around after the party. The kids were napping and we were talking. Someone asked where Burnie was. He had gotten up about 10 minutes earlier and never returned. I stood up from the table and glanced out the window to the back yard. Wouldn't you know, there's Burnie laying on the slope of the yard. Glasses off and sound asleep. Not a care in the world.
Renee and I are both heart broken and we are also jealous. "Papa" Burnie is in heaven holding our boys. :)
We will never be able to grasp why loved ones are taken from us. We do know that only God knows when our time is up. Bonnie and Burnie were getting ready to watch a football game. They were both standing in the middle of the living room when Bonnie felt the urge to walk over to her husband, hold him, and just dance with him. She made her move and he obliged. It might have been their last dance together, but it is one dance that will last forever. Burnie and Bonnie Ballard will always be dancing with a little help from our friend. Thank you God.
Please keep our family in your prayers.

RIP Burnie Ballard.

Scott Britt

1 comment:

broomen said...

Scott, I don't know if we have ever met. I only knew Burnie through My Cousin Sherry Casey. We love the Pageland Watermelon Festival and we were invited to Bonnie's and Burnie's home after the parade for a cookout. We loved Burnie from the first time we met him. He was one of the most interesting and entertaining people I've ever me. When you were around the two of them you knew they loved each other very much. He did have her on a pedestal. My husband and I were devastated to hear that we had lost Burnie. We did not get to spend as much time with them as we would have liked to. The time we did share will be cherished forever. Praying for you and your family. Norma