
The services were a loving, respectful remembrance of the man he was before he slipped into negativism. Since there are 21 years between my oldest sibling and myself, with five more between us two, there were many stories I’d never heard before. Like water to a rock, time alters and affects people and during the exposure changes them. The man the oldest siblings knew was very different from the man I knew. The contrast was extensive, at least from my view point. It was nice to learn that at one time he was a man I could have appreciated on a different level.
I’d never been present at a graveside service where military honors were bestowed. It was touching and impressive.
But the best part of the funeral experience for me, came in being with family I hadn’t seen in many years (and felt isolated from), in some cases as many as ten. The reconnecting was fun, enlightening and endearing. And for myself, who has been gone for so long, it was needed.
