Dad's visitation was last night at the funeral home. I found it quite interesting who came by to pay their respects. The men had become littler old men. Most of the women had become considerably more gray and a lot thinner. Some knew Dad as a salesman, others as the little old man who visited the care center a couple times a week with my mother.
I had to retrain my mind to see the face in front of me and try to remember who it belonged to 25 years ago when I left town for college. I often got it because some people had aged beautifully. I often missed it. No matter, I found out why this person in front of me was here. Many folks came to support my sisters who live near Mom. One of my classmates came to my Dad's visitation as I had done for his dad's funeral 20 years prior. Many came because they knew him from church. Mom's bridge pals and bowling pals and workplace pals all came. My uncle and his daughter, Dad's youngest brother, arrived after a two-day trek from Jersey. Paul's friends came up from Chicago.
My husband came from North Carolina. That was the greatest gift of all.
This morning, we will start at the funeral home and drive to the church. We will celebrate a Mass of Christian Burial. The priest will deliver the homily, but several of us will deliver the eulogy after Communion. I pray to get through it with clarity and grace.
16 years ago
4 comments:
Prayers are with you and your family today.
Ruth Anne,
We just got back from an extended Independence Day weekend in Wisconsin with my wife's family.
I'm so sorry to learn of your dad's death.
I pray you will know the comfort, strength and hope of Christ in your loss.
"Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words."
1 Thessalonians 4:14-18
What a glorious day that will be, eh? Live in hope. Our God is faithful, merciful, and just.
I will be praying for you and your family.
Dear Pastor Jeff:
You couldn't have known, but that is a reading my sisters gave Dad while he was declining, and it's the same epistle my sister read today at his funeral.
Thank you for your prayers.
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