Funeral Processions...

Today, we gathered to lay to rest a friend, Dewayne Wood. It was a sweet ceremony filled with memories from great friends of his and wonderful music. It was sad, but a joyous event to some degree, just as I'm sure he would have wanted it. I am doing better right now. The last couple of days have been rough and this morning was as well, but saying goodbye really helps so now healing begins.

Just a quick note about the funeral procession today. It was your typical long line of cars stretching from Oak Mt. Presbyterian Church escorted by 3 motorcycle police. Some people hate when a funeral passes because the police try to enforce oncoming and side traffic from moving while the procession goes by. Simply, its a matter of respect and I don't know if they do this everywhere, but here in the heart of the south, in the middle of the Bible Belt, most people do. Today, however, I and four others in the car I was riding in to the graveside experienced something we had never seen happen. As we were going down the road following in line, our car was almost deafening silent, which was okay, it was understandable, but then about half way to the graveside as we were passing the front yard of a home, we all seemed to notice a lady on her riding lawn mower on the right. We just passed on by, but obviously everyone in the car noticed the very same thing...she was stopped too! And then I said "Well, even lawn mowers stop." and the entire car busted out in laughter. The laugh was needed, oh how it was needed to know that life must go on, that we will make it through this and that hey, even people on lawnmowers cutting their own yard, minding their own business may take notice and actually stop to honor and respect the grieving in their time of loss. I doubt the lady we saw today will ever see this blog, but I personally want to say thank you to her, as she obviously cares not only for herself but others that she doesn't even know.