Mr. FixIt and I went to a simple country funeral yesterday. My cousin’s wife lost her mom Friday after a brief but courageous fight with cancer. We went to the early service at church yesterday so we could make it to the funeral in time as it was an hour and a half away. It is a testimony to the impact of a person’s life when the line to get into the funeral stretches long outside the building.

We chatted with the folks as we waited to pay our respects to the family and be seated. Mr. FixIt is SO like me…we neither one know a stranger. By the time we got in the door we were on a first name basis with half the folks in line. There were flowers everywhere. There were quilts and statues, plaques and potted plants, lanterns and birdhouses. There were two whole tables filled with photos of the deceased and her family. I greeted several of my cousins who were there and I hugged my sweet sister/friend then found seats.

Two pastors led the funeral service. One led the opening prayer. A quartet consisting of three guitars and a fiddle played “Amazing Grace”, “A Purple Robe”, and “Will the Circle be Unbroken”. The music was halting and sweet in its simplicity. Bev was a strong Christian woman, raised on a ridge two miles up a holler from the nearest paved road. Her parents walked or rode horseback to take their children to church twice a week. She instilled that same faith in her own large family and it shows. Her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren gathered to celebrate this humble woman’s life and I was honored to be there.

The pastor who led the funeral service was a little bitty thing when Bev and Ray started courting. The pastor said the young couple would come and pick him up and take him along with them on their dates…as a sort of pseudo chaperone. Two years later, Bev and Ray married and began to raise their own family. She died just a few days before their 57th wedding anniversary. It was heartbreaking to hear Ray weep. He has never spent much time away from his bride so this is going to be a terrible adjustment for him. As we went through the receiving line after the service, I sat down beside him and gave him a big hug.

“Ray…I don’t know you and you don’t know me but, I’m Rick’s cousin and Charlotte’s friend. I’m so sorry for your loss. I kind of know what you’re going through because I lost my husband five years ago. I know this is really hard for you, and I know you can’t believe this right now, but you’re going to get through this. There’s a whole lot of people praying for you and they’re going to be there to love on you. Now, as soon as the dust settles a bit, Charlotte and I are going to drive down and you and I are going to sit on the front porch for a spell and have us some sweet tea and we’re just gonna talk. Does that sound ok?”

Ray said he didn’t know how he was going to make it through but to just come on down anytime. He’d love to see me.

So, Ray and I have a date to talk in a few weeks. I don’t know what it’s like to lose the only person I’ve ever loved for nearly 60 years. But I do know what it’s like to lose someone I loved more than life itself, so I think we have some common ground there. I’ll let you know how it goes.

A simple country funeral. Nothing fancy. Folks dressed in jeans. Folks dressed in their Sunday best. All gathered to celebrate a life well lived. What better way to honor a mom? ❤

“From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭61:2‬ ‭NIV‬‬