Memorials

I have only attended four memorials/funerals so far in my life. The first one was for a coworker when I worked for Choice Hotels, International. He died unexpectedly, and his memorial service was in a funeral home. There were so many people attending, we all sat in different rooms and the service was piped in over the loud speakers. To say it was weird is an understatement.

Then one of my good friend's Dad passed away with a massive heart attack. He was sitting watching TV one minute, and gone the next. We accompanied them with their family to the Outer Banks of North Carolina where they were going to put his ashes in the Sound. They had a disposable urn, and dropped it in the water near a pier. The next day they went back just to see, and the urn was still there. Obviously the "disposable" urn was having issues dissolving in water. My friend had to use a stick to break it up a little.

And then my grandfather died, and I attended his funeral. My grandparents owned a dairy farm for many years, and during the funeral, my brother and I had random people who had worked on the farm come up to us and tell us they remembered us when we were little. I didn't remember any of them.

Lastly, my Stepmom's Mother passed away. I spent that funeral in the hallway as Ashley was just a baby and would not stay quiet for the service.

Today will be a first as I am playing with the community band I play bassoon for in a memorial service for a fellow band member. She passed away from cancer way too soon. And she loved band. She played flute, was always enthusiastic, helped out when we needed help. We are playing one of her favorite songs - Somewhere Over the Rainbow.