April 4 – “A nice one”

I forgot to mention yesterday, Chris' medication to calm her down finally did kick in.  The next morning.  I didn't think she would ever wake up so we could get on the road to the funeral in Magnolia.  And when she did get out of bed, she was like a zombie.  Usually she drives pretty much the whole way any time we go on a long distance trip.  She likes to drive.  She gets carsick if she tries to read, so she would just as soon be driving.  Not this time.  She couldn't even get going enough to know what to pack.  It was kind of weird.  I sure hope they can get those rocks in her head back where they're supposed to be tomorrow at her therapy session.  Now there's a question.  Would that be considered physical or psychological therapy?  It's about a physical problem … inside her head.  Hmm.   The funeral was a nice one, if you're OK with calling funerals nice.  The church where the service was held was a big one, and a lot of people came.  Many well-deserved tributes were paid to Jack.  We saw several people from that long-ago past time.  One of the girls who was in that youth group was there with her parents.  I lived with her family one summer.  Cindy should still be in junior high.  Now she has a daughter who is a college graduate.  Aargh.  Martha was there.  She was one of the youth workers.  And Rene very quietly came and introduced herself.  She was about our age back then.  Looks a lot younger than us now, though.  We even met some friends of Kel's from his Houston Baptist University days.  I met one young guy who said he was a pastor at a little country church.  Jack had been mentoring him, and he related to some of the things I had shared.  He wanted to know if he could give me a call sometime and let me take the reins so to speak.  Now that's some pressure.  He seemed to have a lot of potential, though.  And he was wearing blue jeans instead of a suit.  That certainly puts him ahead of the game.  I gave him one of my cards.    It was good to get a hug from Delores.  It was good to remember with Jack, Jr. about our days playing basketball in the church gym and musing about him going into the ministry so he could hang out and shoot baskets and get paid for it.  It was good to remember with Danny about training Mrs. Elsner in the finer points of spreading mayo on our sandwiches at youth fellowships.  And it was good to remember with Steve about, well about not mentioning some of the things we remembered.  That's what it's supposed to be like, isn't it?  Peacefully reminiscing with joy because you know that your loved one is not really dead.  A nice one.   Jeremiah 23:4 says, "'I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing,' declares the Lord."   Father, thank you for shepherds who get it right.  Help me be one.  Amen.