My parents drove up from South Carolina for Easter weekend. They endured the crush of traffic to get here that was associated with the crowds coming into the DC area for the Cherry Blossom Festival, school trips and a holiday weekend.
We attended sunrise service on Easter Sunday at the Lincoln Memorial, watching the sun break through the clouds and rise over the Capital and Washington Monument. It was a great setting for an inspirational message. Afterwards we walked along the tidal basin amongst the colorful cherry blossoms and enjoyed the great spring weather.
Unfortunately that weekend my father also received a phone call that his oldest sister had passed away. Though this was not unexpected it was still sad news. My aunt was always a positive and Godly woman and that significance was not lost to us on Easter.
Last weekend I drove to the Dayton area to attend my aunt’s funeral. Irene grew up a city girl and had a full though not always the easy life living on a small farm in rural Ohio. She always had a positive outlook while she and her husband had a strong impact on their children by their Godly example. When we announced our intent to move to Italy she also wrote an encouraging letter to us about our plans and we exchanged several letters and cards during our three years in Italy.
Funerals are times to remember the positive impacts people’s lives can have on those around them, even in small ways. They can also be opportunities to see family members who have been spread across the continent for many years. We did both.
2 comments:
My condolences on the loss of your aunt.
Sorry to hear about the loss of your aunt.
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