Saying Goodbye

Yesterday, we said good bye to my mom's uncle, my great-uncle, and my grandma's brother. He was 81 and passed away a year to the day he was diagnosed with leukemia. If a funeral can be nice, then this one definitely was. One of my cousins is a minister, and she preached her daddy's funeral. I've never heard a more heart-felt sermon than what was shared yesterday. My uncle's son-in-law (the husband of his younger daughter) also shared some words as did a former teacher who worked with my uncle. (He was a retired elementary school principal.). They all shared such wonderful stories of a truly wonderful man. All my memories of Uncle Ben and Aunt Lea are happy ones. I remember the times we spent with them when we were kids. We always had a good time, and they were always so glad to see us. I haven't seen them as often as an adult, and I wish that I had. That 2 hour drive isn't all that far. I'm hoping to go forward by visiting more and getting to know my cousins again.

Uncle Ben was retired from the Army. He served in WW II and won many medals for his service including the Purple Heart. He had military rights at the cemetery with the 21 gun salute and a bugler playing taps. It was quite a moving service. I didn't want to go, but I'm glad that I did.