Funeral

Yupp today was the day of the funeral. Funeral's are weird. They are more for the living than for the dead. It strikes me as odd. All that work that people get stressed about, to put someone in the ground.


THE WAKE Why do they call it that? No one is waking up. Except the people who go there. And really they do that everyday. Why is that so special? I don't know. All I did was cut 6 assortments of cringle: Cherry, Pecan, Chocolate, Apricot, Apple, and Cream Cheese and then sit on the couch while millions of old people talked and laughed and reunited. Neighbors. Friends. Nurses. They all came to pay their last respects to my grandpa. His coffin was a bronzey color and so was he. He looked really tan from all the makeup they caked on him. It was really weird. Seeing him. Dead. I kept expecting him to open his eyes after our noise finally woke him up start breathing again and laugh or mess with us. Joke around. But of course he didn't. I just looked at him. So peaceful. Light green sweater. Arms crossed. Then after we were ready for the service.

THE SERVICE We all filed into the church. Immediate family last. With his kids in front. Claudia. Cindy. Caroline. Kenny. The service was pretty good. The guy did a good job for meeting him once. The thing is though. My grandpa can't be summed up in one meeting. You have to really know him. But he obviously got filled in from alot of people because he knew alot. They played What A Friend We Have In Jesus and Amazing Grace and some other song I can't remember. And he talked about how each of us has memories. That he left us with. And it's like he's here with us. He asked us to share. But only two got up. The first told of how he was always a jokester. And the other told. Of how he was at the cabin with them. And how he was an early riser. How he would always be up hours before everyone. Sitting and staring at the lake. And He told her. "Early morning is the best time of day". She said she thinks about Elmer in the morning that almost brought me to tears. But oddly. I cryed not once. I got all choked up. But didn't cry. Then later he talked about M+M's because my grandpa loved the peanut ones. He said there are 2 M's. One for the memories. And the second for Mansions. He said as my grandpa was coming closer to the end of his life. He was drawn to the passage of John 14. I won't look at that passage the same again.

THE BURIAL We drove in a 20 something car procession to West Lawn. The actualy burial was emotional for me. Not that we stayed and actually saw them burrying him. But they had this 7 gun salute thing. Since he was in WWII. It was emotional for me. When they shot the guns. I don't know why. Then they presented the flag to Caroline. (she wanted it for a memorial to him since she lives down south and can't go to his grave). We stood around awhile and then went to Charcoal Grill.

THE LUNCH More than 20 people showed up. I thought it was weird Michelle came for lunch but not to the funeral or anything. Then I went with my mom and them and went to go back to the cemetery again to see more people there.

I went to my sister, Heather's grave, my dad's, my great grandpa's again, and my great great grandparents. Overall it's been a really serious day. Nothing else new really.


"There are little signs all around us if we just pay attention" -my mom