The day of the funeral, I woke up and was very relieved to see that the sun was shining. If it had been a gray, rainy day, I think that my courage would have failed me! When I drove in the church parking lot, it was such a surreal moment to see the hearst parked by the front door and to know that it had carried my friend there. I had to pause a moment before I went in and catch my breath.
The service was lovely, just lovely. The pastor of that church had such kind, thoughtful words to say about her and he spoke of how she was able to raise her daughters, even when she was in pain and how she managed to do her part, whether it was at home or at church. Adversity was no stranger to her, but in spite of it all, she continued to have faith in God and knew that no matter what, He would provide. That was my Kimmie!
Her oldest daughter stood up in front of the church and spoke a few words about her mother. It was beautiful. Her youngest daughter, who has trouble speaking, signed the words to the song, "I Miss You," (by Miley Cyrus). As she was signing it, they had the music playing in the background and had a picture slideshow of her and her mom and sister on a screen behind her. It was really special, and for just a brief moment, I got tears in my eyes. Thankfully, I was sitting beside another good friend of mine, and as the pictures were being displayed, we did more laughing than crying, because they had chosen some really funny ones of Kim and her girls playing and having fun.
Kim's final resting place is in the family plot in a small cemetary between this Small Town and the next one. It is surrounded by fields and trees and is very well kept, quiet, and peaceful. As I left after the graveside prayer, I looked back, kind of started laughing, and said, "Okay, then, Bye! I'll See Ya!" because that is what she used to always say.
Death is not an end...it is just the beginning of a new life for her in eternity. That is what I believe and hold onto when I start to feel sad. But, today is a new day and a new week, and time to start getting my routine back into order. Hmmm...where to start!
Have a wonderful Monday, everyone, and I hope to post some Christmas cookie recipes for tomorrow and maybe a deal or two! :)
I'm so glad that you were able to find some happiness on such a sad day. I like the idea of the slide show so that you can focus on the fun and the good memories rather than on the sadness of the day.
ReplyDeleteI'm so thankful that it went better than you thought. I was glad when my dad passed for the jokes that were told at his funeral. It was nice to relive a good moment in such a time of grief.
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