I have always marveled at the coincidences in life and the people we meet along the way. This is one such event I experienced a few weeks ago:
I was at the dollar store today just picking up some odds and ends. I walked down the electronics aisle to find a case for my ear buds. Of course I wanted to pick the prettiest, most colorful ones, so I was there for a few minutes. In the same aisle was a man talking on the phone and I overheard him sending his condolences to someone on the other end. When he got off the phone he looked at me and sighed. I told him I was sorry for his loss and he proceeded to tell me that he was talking to a friend who had just lost his wife last night to cancer. This man that I was talking to happened to be a Chaplain and a veteran. I had mentioned that I was also an officiant.
He started telling me the story about his wife who also died from cancer last October, about her service and the ceremonies that he has officiated. There were a few things that he said to me that I felt necessary to share because it might be helpful to someone else who had lost someone close to them.
He said, “Everyone always says that they are in a better place. But we don’t know that. The best place for them is at your side.”
He said, “You cry at their funeral because that is what you are supposed to do because you loved them so much. That is the day to do that. But after that, you learn to take that love and continue on with your life because you are still here and they are not.”
And the last piece of wisdom he left me with is, “You always have to find a reason to laugh. Even at a funeral.”