A memorial service.

Yesterday my Mother and I attended a memorial service for an elderly lady and family friend. She was a very nice and friendly person, good wife and wonderful mother who reared six children of her own. She was 72yrs old.

As I sat there during the memorial service, so many things..along with tears came to mind. I sat and watched her children..all grown..grieve for her. It was such a sad time and thought that at some point/points in our lives all of us will have to endure the loss of a loved one close to us and grieve just the same. I thought about what her children might be thinking or feeling and how deep their pain must be. This was followed by a slide show along with some soft music of pictures of her from when she was a baby down to her last year of life. In those pictures were pictures of her children when they were still very young. She held them so lovingly and it was clear how much she loved her children. This made me sad as I began to remember times like that with my own family in a better time and place when we were all happy and together. I remember as a very young child thinking that it was gonna last forever.

The pastor had some beautiful things to say then when that was over it was the last time to say good bye to her. Her youngest boy got up and walked over to her and began to cry. Tears rolled out of my eyes.

She had been sick for a very long time then gradually got sicker and would forget who certain people were. She became bed bound. There were times that I just wanted to go and sit with her just because but for some reason or other I didn't and I could kick myself hard for that. I immediately made some definite decisions.

I am here to tell you that whenever you feel the need to sit with a sick person fer no particular reason JUST DO IT. You will make them happy and you will be helping out the family even if just fer a little while.

After the service, the family requested to all meet at the deceased's home to gather for a meal together in her honor because she would have liked that. We went. I immediately felt comfortable in her home as this is where she lived most of her life with her late husband and six children. This was a home because it had deep roots. Again I sat there quietly and noticed that alot of the older ladies were there. It also made me sad as that is the generation that I so loved to be around. That was like my late Gramma's generation and one could learn alot from those elderly ladies. I remembered as a child sticking to my Gramma like glue because I wanted to know and learn everything she did. I liked her lady friends company and serving them coffee and cookies or cake or tea, of course I felt like I had to put on my lil apron that my Gramma made fer me. As a child, I thought that to serve them was a most honorable thing to do with these elderly women whom I so enjoyed their conversations and company with, though I mostly sat quietly with my dolls. I dared not interrupt, it was considered rude. Just watching them get along I learned how one should act in a time of sorrow, grief and happy times alike. All this made me sick fer my own Gramma and all her church lady and neighborhood friends that I knew..most of them deceased.

I know our friend is in a much better place and free from sickness and pain. Her lil body couldn't hang on anymore. She is finally Home. May she forever and ever rest in peace.

2 Timothy 4:7
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

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