Coming Home

It seems as if the older I get (now passing the 40 mark), the more often my trips home to Ohio are marked by funerals. On Thursday my older brother and I had the privilege to conduct the funeral of our last remaining grandmother. And all of the things that we tell people in our ministries literally have to be proven in our response to death in our own family.

I was once again reminded of the impact of what many would consider a very insignificant life. My grandmother lived 'up the hollow' in a farm house a few miles from where she grew up. She never had a driver's license, but seemed to know about everyone in town. And when the memorial service was about to begin, the funeral director had to get more chairs as it was a standing room only crowd. Nearly everyone there had been affected by this life and family in a significant way.

Leave it to a funeral to bring out the best and worst in a family...but all we got to see was the best. So many friends told us how proud my grandma (Nonnie) was of us grandchildren and how she was always speaking a kind word about us to her friends. But I think the most moving thing that happened was seeing our usually 'less than affectionate' grandfather (now 86), walk up to the casket time and again to pat her hand and say some of the most beautiful words.

Life seems to keep us so busy that I saw family members that I had not seen in at least 10-15 years. We get so engaged in our lives and families that our trips 'coming home' are now few and far between. However, when we come for these sacred occasions, there seems to be less small talk. The conversations seem to quickly turn to what really matters. I'm not sure why that does not happen more often...but funerals seem to bring out the urgency and brevity in life.

This morning, the phone rang early telling us that my grandmother's sister experienced the death of her husband during the night...so there will be another memorial service before I return to South Carolina next week. I guess it is now just the reality of coming home.