a time to mourn - a time to dance
Yesterday marked our 2nd funeral in just six days. Both funerals included mostly the same people. Two different friends in our circle had family members pass away.
Last Wednesday we attended the funeral of one young man, just 37 years old, who died after battling cancer for the past year and a half. His family grieves but I am in awe of their strength and courage. My friend lost his son and I just can't imagine the pain he must feel.
Another friend lost his mom and yesterday she was put to rest. She was a tiny, frail, little thing. So beautiful still at 88 years old. My friend is the last of his immediate family, having lost his sister about 20 years ago to an undiagnosed heart condition from birth and then his father after her. Now he is without his mother and feeling the pain.
I find it a blessing that I was able to be there for both families... just knowing that someone else would find comfort in my presence... it warms my heart. Funeral services are strangely comforting to me and I am more at peace with death when at funerals than I am at any other time.
Yesterday turned out to be one of the good ones (as in days. not funerals) after all, despite our feelings while we were preparing to leave and then driving there. After the services, my husband and I attended a luncheon, ate great food, reminisced, cried and laughed with our friends. We then came home, thought we'd relax, watch a movie and then cook dinner, but we both fell asleep for about 1/2 an hour, had all kinds of energy when we awoke, so we did some shopping together and looked for things to wear for a Valentine's Dinner Dance we'll be going to. Then we decided it was too late to want to go home and cook and we both wanted a really nice meal, so we went to a favorite place of ours and ran into a lot of the same friends we had lunch with. Two bottles of Pinot Noir later (don't worry, we didn't drink all that ourselves! we share) it was time to get ourselves to bed.
I haven't figured out what I'll wear to our Valentine's Day Dance, but hello!? What's not going to look good with these hot new red shoes I found!!
Last Wednesday we attended the funeral of one young man, just 37 years old, who died after battling cancer for the past year and a half. His family grieves but I am in awe of their strength and courage. My friend lost his son and I just can't imagine the pain he must feel.
Another friend lost his mom and yesterday she was put to rest. She was a tiny, frail, little thing. So beautiful still at 88 years old. My friend is the last of his immediate family, having lost his sister about 20 years ago to an undiagnosed heart condition from birth and then his father after her. Now he is without his mother and feeling the pain.
I find it a blessing that I was able to be there for both families... just knowing that someone else would find comfort in my presence... it warms my heart. Funeral services are strangely comforting to me and I am more at peace with death when at funerals than I am at any other time.
Yesterday turned out to be one of the good ones (as in days. not funerals) after all, despite our feelings while we were preparing to leave and then driving there. After the services, my husband and I attended a luncheon, ate great food, reminisced, cried and laughed with our friends. We then came home, thought we'd relax, watch a movie and then cook dinner, but we both fell asleep for about 1/2 an hour, had all kinds of energy when we awoke, so we did some shopping together and looked for things to wear for a Valentine's Dinner Dance we'll be going to. Then we decided it was too late to want to go home and cook and we both wanted a really nice meal, so we went to a favorite place of ours and ran into a lot of the same friends we had lunch with. Two bottles of Pinot Noir later (don't worry, we didn't drink all that ourselves! we share) it was time to get ourselves to bed.
I haven't figured out what I'll wear to our Valentine's Day Dance, but hello!? What's not going to look good with these hot new red shoes I found!!
Yesterday involved just about every emotion there is and it may be draining, but to realize you are so very alive and have a good life, good friends to share it with and the marriage you dreamed about as a little girl...
Labels: friends, Valentine's Day
posted by Lisa at
9:12 AM
2 Comments
