I went to the funeral of a family friend. He had died suddenly. One day he was fine...the next day he died. He and his wife have seven amazing children. They owned a restaurant in a coastal town for decades. He was artistic, loving, and an amazing chef. He and his wife had shared marriage and children for over forty years.
His funeral was beautiful. His children sang, quoted their dad's lovely poetry, and made me feel as though I had known this remarkable man all of my life. They made the experience more about the celebration of his life and less about the loss of his life.
Tenderness in the experience reminded me of another Celebration of Life. This one was for my husband. He died seven and a half years ago. Both men were larger than life, physically, emotionally, and in talent. I think they would be great friends.
I cried, and I felt their pain, and my own pain. Yet it was also profoundly sacred, a reminder of the purpose of life. I a year out from breast cancer. They found a small amount of cancer in a lymph node. This means that I could have cancer cells in my body. Conversely, the cancer may be gone. How do you live with the possibility that you may still have cancer lurking about in your body?
Life is very fragile, completely uncertain. We don't know what tomorrow is going to bring. Going to a funeral, battling breast cancer, both situations have reminded me what matters, and what doesn't. My faith, my family, and my friends, they are all very important to me. I'm grateful everyday (even in the hardest days) for the gift of people to love. Loving somebody is even better than being loved. Loving gives you a sense of purpose, a fulfillment that can only come from being wanted.
We drove from the funeral to a lovely town where I lived for a very short time. There running down the middle of the road was a small black lab. It was a busy corner. We were fearful that the doggy would get hit by a car. My daughter pulled the car over and went to coax the dog out of the street. I warned her to be aware that it might bite her.
The dog had a weathered old collar without any identifying tags. I walked door to door asking if anyone knew who this dog belonged to. I visited with a marvelous lady. She was a nurse, now she volunteers at the animal shelter.
We coaxed the sweet old dog into our backseat where it promptly went to sleep. It was so sweet natured. It amazed me that this dear old creature radiated such love and goodness. We were concerned that the doggie belonged to someone who probably was looking for them. That informed our decision to leave the doggie at the local animal shelter.
We called the animal shelter and learned that it is a no kill shelter. We finally were able to connect with the police who put our dog friend in a kennel at the shelter. There were multiple large dogs, each in their own cell. It broke our heart to lead this sweet creature into a potentially stressful situation. We shed many tears. Then we prayed and felt at peace. Comfort came to me with the reminder that God has created all of us, and even watches over a sparrow. I'm certain that he will watch over this sweet old doggy. Maybe that's why he had us arrive at that corner at that moment, to save a sweet dog?
We ended the night by going to a beach bonfire. This is one of the most magical situations in life to me. Sitting on the sand, chatting with friends, watching the stars peek out of a black velvet sky, it brought peace to my heart. Changes happen including separations from loved ones as we age. It is the connection to each other, and old doggies that makes this life worthwhile.
UPDATE:
The precious small black lab that we found on Saturday is now home with its owners. I ADORE a happy ending!
Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass....it's about learning to dance in the rain!
