His first funeral?

This was not a good week or rather the week before was not a good week to be friends with my family. My mom went to a funeral on Monday, Wednesday, and on Friday. All of the deceased were friends of the family. And good friends to get my mom to go.

The first funeral was for Uncle L.C. For the last twenty years or so, he was my aunt’s boarder. He was an honorary, hence his title, member of our family. Right before Thanksgiving, the doctor gave him six months to a year. God granted him six months and a day.

I don’t think I ever had a prolonged conversation with him. But what I will remember most about him is how much he loved his sisters. How he had a real relationship with them. I can count on one hand the number of times my uncles have called my house to talk to their sister in the last year- - last two really. For every three of my calls or emails, I might get one return call or email from Mort. So Uncle L.C. will always stick out for showing me men can maintain relationships with their siblings, even siblings of the opposite gender. He helped out his sister who ended married to a loser who left her with six kids. He visited and even wanted to leave her his Mercedes in his will, so she could have a dependable car. His sister appreciated the gesture, but knew she couldn’t afford the upkeep. I was so impressed that even on his deathbed, he was thinking of practical ways he could help his sisters. I pray that Jory has a real relationship with his sisters.

My mom asked if she could take Jory with her to the funeral. When Jory stayed with my aunt, she would sometimes leave Jory with Uncle L.C. while she went out to run errands, etc…I thought maybe Jory’s first funeral should be one that I attended too. Then I realized this was actually his third funeral. He really hit up the cross country funeral circuit that first year of life. I told her yes.

When I arrived at my aunt’s after the service, I asked him about it. Did he know where Uncle L. C. was?

“He was in a box, a coffin, at the front of the church and they closed it. They nailed it shut.”

“Dude, they closed it, but they didn’t nail it shut. What else?”

“Then he went to heaven with God.”

Since we were going the complete, over your head, honesty route, I decided to keep it up. “He went to heaven if he believed that Jesus died on the cross for his sins and rose again, and accepted Jesus into his heart. If he did that, then yes, he is in heaven right now with God. Anything else happened?”

“They put him in the ground.” The end.

That was an accurate description. So his first funeral of memory went well.