Saturday I drove to Ripon for a funeral. That in itself means nothing. Many people travel further than that to honor a grieving family. What made it unique is that it was the first Catholic funeral I have been to in a long, long time.
I know many will say that Catholics are all about the ceremony - the processions and candles - the vestments and symbols. But, this was a beautiful experience. Maybe it was what many would call "over the top."
I prefer to think that the grief stricken family was reassured at the familiarity of the prayers and songs. I was moved by the words the priest said. I was inspired by the sermon. The priest had reviewed the private notes of the eternal guest and commented on her life of pain and suffering and her courageous choice to give her future to God.
There was a beauty and gentleness, even while we all cried. I didn't know Nicole, but I knew her sister. I knew that to the end, Nicole was loved and the whole service was a reminder to us all that there is no end if we truly believe.
What will happen to all those people is not sure - what happened on a sunny Saturday, is sure. That a select group who came to mourn was renewed and released back to the real world totally in God's presence is what matters.
I hope I can live my life in enough faith to leave this kind of aura over my friends and family. I hope I can love my sisters and brother enough to make sure that when they die, everyone knows more about when they lived.
My new goal is to do 4 more blogs - one each for my siblings so they know from now to the end how much they are loved by me.
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