It's August 25th and that means in 4 months I will be frantically wrapping gifts to take to my family Christmas gathering.
Yesterday I was at a funeral and they sang "Joy To The World" so that is what made me think that Christmas is not far away -- oh bother.
The funeral was for my friend Annie's uncle, my friend's brother, my bosses' brother, my cousin's daughter-in-law's father. I was definitely linked to this life. He was 61 and died of a heart attack. His sister told me he had his asthma inhaler in his hand when they found him -- all of us asthmatics will die with our inhaler in our hand. When people your own age start to go it makes you a little nervous.
I don't care much for funerals because they are less celebration and more mourning but this wasn't a Catholic funeral so I knew there was a better chance of some joy popping up in the middle of the service -- and I was right (although this was Lutheran which isn't always a laugh fest either). And no incense -- for God's sakes give up the incense; the bodies don't smell anymore you don't need it. But I digress.
And then there was the one person who actually believed that a little girl -- perhaps 12-14 months tops -- would sit quietly for an hour. I want to know the color of the sky in this woman's world. The service hadn't even started and she had to leave the church; she came back and within 2 minutes had to leave the church; she came back and in less than 30 seconds had to leave the church. I think it may have sunk in that this wasn't going to work.
My takeaway from the service was that this guy really enjoyed life -- that's what everyone spoke about. He loved to have fun and be with family and friends. I'm sure as he realized his time was up his last thoughts were not "Oh I wish I'd spent more time organizing my work space" or "Gosh why didn't I take more time to watch television" or even "I didn't worry enough about money" -- I have a feeling it was a wish for one more day/hour/minute with the people he loves.
When I go, I go like Elsie.
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