The Funeral

In a room in the back of my family's church I stood with my mom,two sisters and my two brothers.We didn't stand alone,my brother in laws and our children stood with us.The aunts,uncles and all the cousins.We all stood somber and quiet.Everyone to their own thoughts and prayers.I stood in the line with my family clutching a damp crumpled tissue and a folded piece of notebook paper.The tissue was damp with the tears that had threatened to spill down my cheeks.The tissue caught those tears as they left my eyes.The notebook paper a memory of my childhood."Three little children sitting in the backseat of a 63 chevy".A cherished memory that I would share with everyone that had come to say goodbye.A soft tap on the door alerted us that it was time for us to go say our goodbyes."He had a crew cut,high and tight.She had teased hair and cat-eyed glasses."They were just a minute over 21.I took a deep breathe and followed the procession of mourners."He would sing My Girl to her as they rode in that 63 chevy.Three little children in the backseat,they were the harmony.As I walked I was handed a"HOMEGOING CELEBRATION" program.I could hear the most beautiful voice singing "A Sinner Saved by Grace.She would always sing back to him.The tissue caught my tears once again.We entered the chruch santuary tall and brave.He would've wanted that.A screen was flashing pictures of a young man and his young family."I've Had The Time Of My Life" was playing as we watched flashes of christmas' past.The birth of grandchildren.The big bass that he had caught in his lifetime.Pictures of him hugging his love when she had lost her hair to chemo.65 years of one man"s life.As I took the podium to share my memory I felt comforted by the life he had led. Three little children.One boy and two girls. Two young parents.He had a crew cut and she had teased hair.He drove a 63 Chevy and she always sit beside him.Three little children they sit in the backseat.They would go for rides on Sunday afternoons.He always sang to her as they rode down the road.The three little children in the backseat would sing along with him.Thay knew every song that he sang.Then there were four little children .One boy and three girls.They would get in that 63 Chevy and go on "treasure hunts"They would ride in the country stopping at "country dumps" in search of old bottles.The four little children were taught what was a treasure and what was junk.She always sit in the car sipping on a Coke and reading a romance novel.She would always smile at the treasures that he found.Five little children.Two boys and three girls.A Sunday afternoon ride.He had a cheerwine with peanuts in it.She had a Coke and a candybar.The four little children in the backseat had ice creme cones.The new baby sit in the middle of his young parents with his bottle.They were off for a Sunday afternoon ride. I've got sunshine,he would start to sing .