there was no wake, no funeral, no body, no depressing atmosphere of a mortuary few people wore all black; I had never been to an event like this. instead, this outdoor event was catered with live music, tons of people, smiling faces; it was a celebration of her life.
there were many blown up photos lining the perimeter of the patio in chronological order; this woman was smart, beautiful, and did so much with her life. she was incredibly blessed and she touched the lives of many.
in all honesty, in her later years she was not so pleasant. she somehow became an angry old woman and didn't have many nice things to say ... to anyone. I've only known her since I've been married (8 years) so this is the side of her I got to know. she was a feisty old bat, but we loved her anyway!
my experiences with death and funerals are of sad people with lots of tears and lots of kleenex. but this time, these people seem to have a real understanding of death and be ok with it; of course the majority of people attending were elderly as well. once you get to a certain age, you're just ready when God is.
I guess I was expecting a bunch of secular/worldly people; sad, confused, and hopeless. I was pleasantly surprised to be around people who seemed to know that God is in control and even though grandma wasn't a christian, God was still involved ... whether everyone liked her or not.
Forrest Gump is one of my favorite movies -
so, as Mama Gump says "death is just a part of life, it's something we're all destined to do."
everyone raise your glasses ... cheers to you Grandma.
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