Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Carrying On

Yesterday Mom and Dad and I went to the funeral of a woman we'd never met. Her son is one of the Meatloaf Monday crew, a truly wonderful man with an equally wonderful wife.

Mrs. Wallace had outlived her husband, all her brothers and sisters, and all but one of her friends. Alzheimer's robbed her of the ability to make new friends. And yet, the church was nearly full.

Some people in the congregation came to honor her history in the church. Some of us came out of respect for her son; some to support her daughter.

Although almost no one there beyond the family actually knew Mrs. Wallace, the gathering was a testament to her life. It's quite an accomplishment to raise children who earn such love and loyalty, a fine legacy.

Later, the meatloaf crew changed into our standard t-shirts and jeans and hurried to the church where we serve. We missed Jim, but we got the job done. I guess that's the way of it. Some people die. Some are born. The human family carries on.

3 comments:

Deb Shucka said...

Lovely and powerful writing. Just like you.

Amber said...

Beautiful. Oh gosh, I love what you said about the kids she raised. How wonderful and true.

;)

fullsoulahead.com said...

Life does indeed go on. Somehow impossibly, it does.