A Peek Inside Cedar Road Academy

• Dec. 25, 2007 - One Saint Went Marching In

Well, it's been 2 months now since Roy's grandma stepped into eternity. And I made a promise to Elysa that I would share the story here on my blog (which everyone has been screaming at me to update). So, here it is. After a few days of grieving, we really came to the day of Grandma's funeral with a surprising amount of peace and joy. There was so much reason to rejoice. It started even before she died. In her final weeks, her face took on a glow that was positively beautiful...radiant. She truly looked like a little girl again, even with all the wrinkles, and even when she didn't have her teeth in.  She was quite ready to meet her Lord, and she made it very clear that she had no intention of fighting tooth and nail to hang onto this life until she wasted away to nothing. Really, she made it easy for us to let her go.     It might sound strange, but we had wonderful day in Elkins, WV for the funeral. Such a contrast from funerals where you know that the person wasn't saved and where the people left behind aren't saved. Instead, at this funeral, many of us couldn't help but laugh and rejoice, in celebration of her life and of the hope of Christ's return.   We were delighted when the pastor delivered a powerfully upbeat and Christ-centered message out of 1 Thess. 4 (which we had just read for ourselves a couple of days earlier). And people were responding throughout the sermon with "Amen" and "That's right," just the way Grandma would've wanted it. Plus, since the pastor had known her for years, he had us all laughing about how Grandma never called him by his name, but always "Honey" or "Darling."     And there were so many humorous ironies, Grandma would have been tickled pink. It was like a funeral that was custom-made for someone who had always lived for the next joke. For example, we had always got a good laugh with Grandma about the choir down there, and the piano that was terribly out of tune. So, to listen to them "croon" while looking at her lying there with a stern look on her face was enough to almost make us bust out laughing. Roy and I couldn't even look at each other, we were so on the verge of hysterics.   Then, to top everything off, at the gravesite, Roy tripped just as he and the other pallbearers were getting ready to set the casket down. So, we joked all day about how Roy tried to throw Grandma into the grave. Plus, it was so cold that as SOON as we gathered around the casket, Roy's dad said, "OK...it's cold...let's get started." And we all laughed about that.   So, Grandma left us laughing as much in her death as she did in her life here with us. Rest assured, we'll be giving thanks next Thursday as we eat our turkey, thrilled to know that the real Turkey is up there feasting with the King.   ~ Ang

Post A Comment! :: Send to a Friend!