So we had a funeral today. It poured down rain all night; We had a bit of a pond in the front yard this morning; It looked like it was going to rain all day; But so far it's been dry. A big crowd in the church building. Apparently all his football buddies were pall bearers. Several of them shared during the service. All in all it went okay. The wife even got up and spoke quite awhile. I think there was some relief, as the deceased first began having seizures 6 years ago, and it's been a long ride of surgeries and hope and regressing again.I don't know how the person felt about God. I tried not to insinuate either which way. No one knows how the journey goes - especially towards the end. We can hope; we can pray; we do what we can, but... it's a mystery. Always is.
There was about a 20 mile drive from the church to the cemetery. Usually I ride with the funeral director. Today I drove myself for some reason. Just felt like being alone. I sang "It Is Well With My Soul" about 15 times. We had a long line of cars. I was second in line - right in front of the hearse. A lot of people don't stop anymore; some don't even slow down or pull over. I noticed several people though - some young guys in a big 4x4 pulled over and took their hats off. A young teenage girl just stopped in the middle of the road and put her flashers on. A guy was out mowing his yard, he stopped, turned and looked at all the cars driving by, and placed his hand on his heart.
It is 2:59 and I think most everyone is now gone. They're just cleaning up after the meal now. That's one thing - when we have a funeral dinner - people just take care of it without having to consult me or involve me in any way. Good thing. Jane was a huge help - playing the keyboard, running the sound board, and just generally keeping me going.
Last night I was over here trying to find the dead mouse smell. It was in one of the rooms off the main hallway - the high school room. I finally located a glue trap behind one of the couches. I couldn't tell for sure, but there were at least two mice decomposing on it. Glad I found it before today.
I'm tired.
4 comments:
well, if all those people liked him, I'm sure God will too...even if it's the first time they've met.
Good to know that people still pull over and pay their respects, I always do.
Sounds like a trying day and a job well done. You have my blessing if you'd like to play Yahtzee now.
"It is well with my soul"
whenever i hear that song, i can't help but sing it 15 times either.
and as morbid as it may be to be good at doing funerals, i'm sure you did a wonderful job. i've always thought you were good at any type of service really.
oh, and glad your found that mouse smell...
talk to you soon, if i dont' float away. seems as if all of findlay is under water. crazy.
"It is Well" from the Jars of Clay Redemption Songs CD - I play it over and over and over. And that's a song that sometimes doesn't feel so good to me - maybe because sometimes it just isn't so well with my soul - but it's a glorious song and I'm glad it was in your mind during this hard day. Thanks for sharing about the people that showed respect - it's almost a lost art, but it always gives me great pleasure to be able to do that for someone I don't know. You deserve a good rest tonight.
Thanks for the kind words, everyone. The dice rolled well. :)
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