It was a Good Funeral

It was a good afternoon celebrating Dad's life. Lots of family and friends, sharing stories. Tears and laughter, the way a good funeral should be.

The celebrant said some wise things, then he shared some things he’d learned from my mother. I read a poem I’d written for the occasion and said a few words explaining what I feel is an important  thing about how Dad influenced my life.My father taught me about the importance of poetry in life.

Then my brother shared an email he’d received from a harness racing identity who couldn’t be at the funeral. It talked about an important event in harness racing history and connected with a lot of the people there. There was mention of how my father had helped this person in his early years.

My brother then told of how our father had affected his life, and many of us let the tears flow. My baby brother did a fine job, struggling through his strong emotional response, and I learned a lot about the bedrock affect Dad had on my brother.

We then watched Dad’s body, in the hearse, do one final lap of the track and farewelled my father after in the traditional way, with memories, food and drinks shared.

Now, life goes on, we all did our best to wave my father goodbye, and I hope we will keep our fond memories alive for many more years.