A death in the family

thank you so much digger, my mum , sisters, brother , aunts and uncles all loved the cross.

the whole day went incredibly smoothly and on time. the service was remarkable. there was so much love and joy in the church it was hard not to smile and be happy. the main chapel was filled, also the balcony and then the small chapel at the back that had the service being shown on a large screen. there were between 350 and 400 people there to see dad off. mum and i were at the front singing , clapping and acting out the words to the chorus of one of her favourite songs. at first it felt strange but seeing the smile on my mums face when i was copying her was enough for me to continue and as i did that she became more animated and her smile grew bigger, i will never forget that. (note pentecostal church - loads of singing, clapping and occasional cries of halleluejah)
the choir was brilliant and the band top notch. i gave my tribute and i think there was more laughing and cheering than crying. it really was something to behold.
the burial at grove park cenetery was lovely, no rain and only a couple of clouds in the sky. my nephews, my brother, a few of my fathers church brothers and myself all filled the grave while more songs were being sung. i took the occasional break to take some pictures. the reception/feast was held in jk banquets, perry vale , forest hill the caterers from the church cooked all the food and put on a lovely spread that helped to wipe away many tears. soup, curried goat, jerk chicken, fried chicken, rice and peas, plain rice , curried vegetables, salt fish, plantain i think there was everything and more. dad would had had a big plate full with everything on it. as usual he would have eaten super slowly and saved a bit at the end to eat as a midnight snack.
on an emotional scale with harrowing being at one end and joyous being at the other the whole day was in my opinion 25% away from joyous. it would have been hard to walk away from the service and not think,
"you know what, life is for living, being nice and doing good when you can"
the whole day and these pictures serve as a testament to how much dad was loved and the amount we can do for others in this short time that we are here.

thanks also for taking the pictures digger, they look really good.

dfp be sure to get as much quality time with your father as possible. you should decide how you judge what we call quality time. tell him you love him.

this is the chorus i was singing and joking with mum , it was almost as though we were doing the birdie song :-)

It soon be done, all the troubles and trials
When I get home on the other side
I'm gonna shake my hands with the elders
I'm gonna tell all the people good morning
I'm gonna. sit down beside my Jesus
I'm gonna sit down and rest a little while

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