Sometimes it seems that life is just one continual funeral....

MOTHER'S DAY- After spending a wonderful day with many of our immediate family, (actually 25 us got together), Tom, Lucille and I returned home to relax a bit from our marathon of cooking 60 or so cabbage rolls, a triple recipe of lasagne, and the special chocolate birthday cake. About 1/2 hour later, a call came from Ohio. It was our sister in law, Janice, with some news. Tom's mother, Grandma Harper, 93 years of age, had quickly taken ill and passed on to the gloryland.
After plans were finalized with the need to be sure that all the children could be present (they were coming from Arizona, Florida, South Carolina, Ontario, as well as Ohio), we headed to the Massillon, Ohio area to await Thursday, the day of the funeral. This, despite the fact that as last minute plans had developed on Saturday, our cousin Sherrilin Heise from San Diego, California, only daughter of Mom's only brother, the late Clarence Heise, was visiting in our home. It was arranged that Lucille, visiting as well from Montreal, would take over the hostessing and the two of them would be just fine staying in our home when we left.
The funeral was a sweet and fitting tribute to the life of one loved so dearly by her family.
As we were finishing up her funeral, I made the comment "Sometimes it seems like life is just one continual funeral." We have had one funeral after another in our immediate family over the past few months (Alicia's daughter, Orie, Uncle Bob Solon, Grandma Heise, John Lambert, and now Grandma Harper), and then there have been ones outside the family circle as well. I guess as long as we live, there will people around us who come to the finish line, their race completed. Some have a shorter race ordained for them than others. Pain, separation, and grief are all part of the experience of our lives here on earth. Together as a family, we are managing to walk steadily along through these difficult times. I am so thankful for God's comfort and strength in these times. I am also very thankful for the strength that comes from being a part of such a wonderfully close-knit and supportive family.