Four Funerals & a Wedding

The last month has been rather intense. I guess deaths sometimes come in groups. The exciting thing about major life events is that you see cousins, aunts, uncles, friends, etc., that you don’t usually see. So, it brings up many memories, some good and some bad. Pulling out those mind folders that have been neatly categorized can be a bit exhausting.

There is the cousin who was always a bully growing up, and now he’s a great guy. The friend who always thought she was better than everyone and still does. The return to the same mortuary where you picked out your mother-in-law’s casket and the room where you said the final goodbye. And then the fellow employees who knew you when you were going through some of the worst times in your life, who are happy things eventually worked out. These memories all come with emotions, and those are sometimes complicated.

The wedding holds hope of new things yet to come. The promise of love and our connections to each other. A reminder that life goes on.

So, while you’re saying your earthly goodbyes to a co-worker, a cousin, a neighbor, or a friend from the old neighborhood, something else may be happening. Sometimes you’re also saying goodbye to a bunch of memories, things you haven’t thought about in years. And then you realize things have slightly shifted; the old guard is passing. And now you are one of the few left who will remember.

(Photo credit: Marisa Morton)