My family attended a great funeral yesterday. I know that sounds completely morbid and weird, but let me explain. Some funerals really capture the spirit of the person being memorialized, and some just don't. This funeral was a lovely celebration of a great man... a wonderful father, grandfather, friend, and citizen. "Grandpa Lee" was the father of one of our dear friends, and we were lucky over the last 15 years to become his friends as well. He always wanted my Sweet Son to end up with his oldest granddaughter... frankly, so do we but those darn kids have yet to buy into the whole arranged marriage thing. Every time I saw Grandpa Lee over the past 10 years he would say with a wink, "You KNOW, there's a couple in our Sunday school class that have known each other since first grade and have been married for 50 years!"
Lee was an amazing woodworker. They talked yesterday about how many beautiful things he had made for his church, family and friends... kneeling benches, podiums, display and bookcases... even a baby cradle that has been used by over 30 babies. Years ago, Grandpa Lee gave me a stunning wood wine stopper he had made. It is still my favorite, and I use it regularly (they say one glass a day is healthy, right?)...
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| Handmade Wooden Wine Stopper |
I love having things in my home that remind me of people that have touched my life. Every time I use this I will remember Grandpa Lee and that wink, "You KNOW..."
4 comments:
You're totally right, a funeral can be a celebration of that person's life. We went to a wake last week for someone who died suddenly, and even though the family was obviously in shock, they still put together a program for the service that was full of fond memories of the deceased. It was such a nice touch.
I'm sorry for your loss, but I'm glad you'll be able to look back and smile.
Love this post about Grandpa Lee and the wine stopper is just amazing. I hope people will celebrate my life when I'm gone, if there's anyone left that will remember me!! He! He! I plan to live a really long time.
Thank you so much Kelly for sharing your reflections on Grandpa Lee. I read it with a few tears in my eyes while chuckling at the same time. I know he thought of you and your family as just an extended part of our family. It was really special that you were all at his service yesterday. And of course, Grandpa Lee would love that you still treasure the wine stopper he made for you and that you are putting it to good and frequent use! :)
This was an awesome post Orangie. You really have a fantastic attitude. It makes me re-appreciate the things I have around my house that have been given to me by special people.
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