A Southern Funeral

Yesterday, I was awakened by my father-in-law with the news that his sister had passed away. This was no real shock. Aunt B was in a nursing home and was in her eighties. Her physical health was failing, but her mind was still sharp and her wit, biting.

Now begin the rituals of the quintessential small town Southern funeral. The body will not be viewed in a funeral home, but in the small Baptist church this aunt attended. There will be a visitation the night before the service. Family will be coming in and no one will be staying in any motel. Local family members will house the "out of towner's" who come in.

Although this is a solemn occasion, the time before and after the funeral service will be more like a family reunion. Southern "funeral food" will be out in abundance. Homemade pound cake, green bean casserole, stuffed eggs, and fried chicken are practically mandatory at the post funeral gathering back at the home of the bereaved.
People will cluck over how much the children have grown and vow to get together on some other occasion than a funeral. Family gossip will be caught up on. Hugs will be given and received. Stories about the deceased will be shared and laughed over.

A mixture of happy and sad. Just what a funeral should be.

Friend Girl

Today my husband's "friend girl" arrives from out of town. He met her when he was in the Navy years ago and he was stationed in her town. Every three years or so, she comes to visit him. And I get a bit blue.

Don't get me wrong. I trust my husband with all my heart and soul. And I know that there is nothing romantic between them anymore. I am jealous of the things that she can do with him that MG and other health problems keep me from doing. She can go bowling with him. They can go for long walks. She can try out that new restaurant that severe food allergies make me afraid to go near. All things that my husband and I used to do together.

Another thing I am jealous of is that for the next four days, this woman will get my husband's largely undivided time. In the everyday hustle and bustle of married life, I sometimes have to beg for a slice of his time away from work. I know this is normal, but it doesn't keep the green eyed monster totally at bay.

But, this will pass. She will go home to her husband and her life.

And my husband will be all mine again.

A Gift of Good Days!

Wow!


I have just had the gift of two good days in a row. This does not happen often, so when it does, I am particularly happy.

Over the past two days I have:

• Organized books in my office.
• Gone out to lunch with my husband and my sweet father-in-law.
• Visited my local craft store which has a lot of wonderful new inventory.
• Checked out a lovely new independent bookstore downtown.
• Cooked a new hot chicken salad from Paula Deen's recipe collection (this one did NOT start with a stick of butter!).
• Gone to choir practice.
• Participated successfully in a Weight Watcher challenge online.

For most people, this is not a lot. They can do all this and more in a single day. But, for me, this is a gift.

And I appreciate it.