Thank you so much to everyone who helped
out and who expressed good wishes this past weekend. The memorial service for Chris’ Dad seemed to
go really well. There were a lot more
people there than Chris and her siblings expected, with the service being in
Galveston. A lot of his relatives
managed to find the church, though, and the crowd was a healthy one. Sharon, one of our Seasiders, came over early
and did a thorough cleaning of the building.
She even set up tables and set out some really pretty flowers and paper
plates and napkins. And she brought some
sandwiches and a vegetable and fruit tray.
Above and beyond the call of duty there, Sharon. Thank you so much again. Speaking of sandwiches, thank you to Karen
for the ones you brought as well. They
were great, especially heated up, as you suggested.
Chris’ Dad had talked to me years ago about
what he wanted at his funeral service. Three things: Keep it upbeat. Keep it short. Play country gospel “so people can sing along
if they want to and be entertained if they don’t.” I think we accomplished that. Kel did some praying and reading of scripture
as part of the service, and our worship leader Wes led a rousing rendition of
Victory in Jesus to close everything out.
In between we had special appearances by the Statler Brothers and Hank
Williams, Jr. (via video, of course).
Everything was very upbeat and encouraging. Nathan even got into the act at the end. He stood up and invited everyone to stick around
for the reception.
We enjoyed seeing some familiar Seaside
faces (Sam and Rita). And our very own April
managed to stay awake for the whole thing even after working all night in the
emergency room and not having a nap in between.
And she was even planning to help with cleanup, but Chris sent her home
to get some sleep. Chris was happy to
renew some connections with family members she hadn’t seen in years. And from my observations, she wasn’t the only
one. Several others were exchanging
phone numbers and promising to get together.
I even heard talk of an upcoming family reunion. Amazing what can happen at a funeral, isn’t it? As always, I wish the same results could have
occurred under better circumstances.
2 Thessalonians 1:11 says, “With this in mind, we constantly pray for
you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he
may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith.”
Father, walk with this family as they
acclimate to a bit of a different world now.
Amen.
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