Laid to rest

The alarm went off at 6:30. We did not get up right away. By 7:30 we were up. He ate my leftovers from last night and I ate one of my prepared breakfasts. We washed up and got dressed in black. I sat on the bed and cried into a washcloth. It was very convenient and I wished I could take it with me. I also thought a beach towel size would be nice. Dad stopped in twice to tell me some things. I understood that he was not planning to spend another night at the motel. About 8:30 we headed for the church, stopping on the way to hand the room key to the attendant who was standing at the end of the sidewalk. We got the the church before 9 and it was still closed, but opened soon to admit the florist. I sat in the car and wept while the others went in the church. At nine, the hearse pulled up and unloaded the casket onto a wheeled contrivance. They parked it inside and got other items out of the van. Chris came out to get me, saying he could not leave the car door open or the battery would run down. So I came inside where my mother's body was. I was worried that she would look relaxed and peaceful and it would seem such a shame that she was dead. But her body looked stiff and not alive. Even after death, her hands and wrists were clenched. It was easier to feel that she was in a better place. Faye set up display boards of her pictures. Some were just of Mom, some were her and Dad, and some were family pictures. The early black and white ones were by the casket. The later ones in color were on tables across the vestibule. Faye had a display of Mom's favorite things: quilted items, sewing basket, prayer cap, bible, Amish books, etc. Aunt Jean brought in another framed pic of Mom sitting with her brothers. My friend Judy whom I met at the quilt group in Korea came with her husband. They live in Maryland now, but it was a big (and wonderful) surprise. Many of my cousins and some of their kids came. It was good to see them too, since I haven't been to many reunions lately. The undertakers men seated people in the church while the pastor said a prayer with the family in front of the casket. Faye and Dad pulled up her covers and then the casket was closed. We were escorted down front. The church was not full by any means, but many of the people who might have come to say goodbye were already in heaven to welcome her. Chris and I sat in the front pew with Donna. She had a very nice interpreter who handsigned the service and hymns. There was singing and the pastor spoke, and then it was time for the family to speak. Dad spoke first, telling the story of how he and Mom met and how he talked her into marrying him. Then Kurt spoke for a short time, and then Chris, and Faye. I could not speak. The pastor spoke at length then about what the Bible has to say concerning the value of a good wife. Then we followed the casket out to the hearse. Some people walked up to the cemetery but the family was encouraged to drive in procession. It wasn't far. One of the undertaker's men took my elbow to help me to one of the seats by the grave. He whispered to me that he was 90 years old. He did not look it. I wondered to myself if with each funeral he works at, he thinks he could be next. The graveside service was short. We walked back to the church for a buffet lunch. It was very nice. They had fruit and a veggie platter and a cheese that I could pick from. I sat and talked with Gwenda, and then with Judy. The family gathered up front so Donna could take a picture. I talked to my other cousins, too.  Patrick told me he found bedbugs at the motel last night. 

Chris changed his clothes and was ready to leave. I walked into the vestibule where Faye was talking to Janet over the pictures. Faye and Chris put the casket bouquets in his car for transport to Va. She and Dad were going to stay another night at the motel. Since she had time then to pack up the photos, Chris and I got on the road, heading for his parent's house. It took maybe 5 hours to get there going around DC, but traffic there was not as bad as I feared. We did stop at one rest area. When we got to their house, Cecily heated up some supper for us. She hugged me a lot and kept telling me that if anyone was going straight to heaven, it was my mother. After much conversation, we all went to bed.  It was an exhausting day.