Uncle Jim’s funeral (part V)

The burial was in the morning before the memorial service. We arrived early. 

     "We are the first ones here," Lauren said. 

     "I wanted to arrive first so we could put the flowers out before they came." 

     I was glad we did—a blue tarp covered the hole with bricks around the corners. Hurriedly, I removed the unpleasant sight and replaced it with beautiful white flowers.

     When the family arrived, I got the urn out. 

     “Do you want me to put it in the hole or set it at the top of the hole?” I asked Kimberly.

     “I haven’t thought about it.” 

     I placed the urn in the hole and would get it out if Aunt June wanted. 

     "No one is crying," Kimberly said.

     "I'm trying to be strong for y'all." 

     "I've been crying a lot." 

     "It's okay for you to feel that way. You need to express your emotions." 

     Kimberly placed a gorgeous wreath made of magnolia leaves by the small hole in the ground.

    The service was simple—the way Uncle Jim would have wanted. Their family loved to sing, so of course, we sang. Each person could toss dirt in the hole or use the shovel to cover the urn. Their grandson helped fill the hole, too. After the service, we went into the fellowship hall, where they had coffee and hot chocolate because it was a cold day.

     After the burial, we went to Uncle Jim's sister's old house. They lived there a long time ago. 

     A ginormous magnolia tree stood tall in the front yard. Young and old kids climbed the tree, and since no one was renting the house, the owners allowed us to visit inside. Several family members had fond childhood memories of visiting and climbing her tree.

     Later that day, their church members fixed a wonderful meal for the family before the memorial service. The service was exceptional—it celebrated Uncle Jim's life. Music was abundant, and there was a time for people to stand and share a story about him.

     After the funeral service, the reception was in the fellowship hall. A video showed photos of Jim and a video of him singing in a quartet.

U  Can you be a servant to those in need? U 

U  What small details can you think of to help the grieving family?  U