A Coming Together

Hey, Y'all,
No pictures this morning, except for those I can make with words. We had a wonderful coming together of friends and families last evening, in memory of Hugh. Carol, our oldest daughter, was able to come in and be with us after all. She had thought that she wouldn't, but we were pleasantly surprised to get a call from her that she could come after all. Everyone was grateful for her presence and her physical support. I know that our daughter, Teresa, and her husband Tom were supporting us with prayers, and we were so grateful for them.

Yesterday morning, Gramps and I got ready and went to Knoxville around ten o'clock and joined with the other family members that were at Hugh's and Imazo's. When we arrived we found that Imazo's sisters, Barbara and Dorothy, from Monroe County were already there with some of their kin. Hugh's son, David, had arrived from Arizona with his wife, Andrea, and son, Steven very late the evening before. Jeff and his wife, Peggy, were there also. Jeff and Peggy live in Knoxville.

We sat around talking, reliving memories of the past, as one does when a loved one passes on. Then around 12:30, I left to go to the airport to pick up Carol, and soon after we got back, several of Imazo's nieces from Ohio came in. It was wonderful to see so many people there coming together in support of Imazo, Jeff, and David and their family.

The cousins always enjoy getting together and talking to one another. I really enjoy seeing them all together.

We left for the funeral home about 3:30, and soon we were seeing a lot of people, some of whom I knew and mostly didn't. Since Hugh was eighty when he died, there were a lot of senior citizens who came to remember and honor his memory. There were also a lot of children who came. A set of triplets who are about five years old came to the funeral. Imazo teaches a Sunday school class of preschoolers. It was so sweet to see her bending over and hugging all three of them at the same time, and them hugging her in return.

You know how it is when you stand for two hours greeting people and you look at their faces, and try to remember if you know them or not. Of course, if you are supposed to remember and don't, it can be a little overwhelming. However, they are very forgiving if you don't. The standing was quite a challenge, and it was really great to be able to sit down and relieve my aching back. It was wonderful to see the great number of people who stayed through the recieving of friends for the funeral service afterwards. The chapel seats were filled for the service.

The line of friends and relatives who came to pay their last respects to Hugh was almost unending. People were still coming through after the service was due to begin. What a wonderful tribute to Hugh and his faithfulness to the Lord, and his friendliness toward his fellow man, that so many came. It was a tribute also to their love for Imazo and their family.

Another thing about funerals is that you see relatives that you only most usually see when you attend a wedding or a funeral. It has been so many years since we have had a family reunion, and we really miss seeing family and "catching up" on what is going on in their lives. It is a thing one really misses doing. Every one stays so busy, and so out of touch that it is no wonder that we lose that closeness that we once had. When I was a young child, we lived close to a lot of my cousins and we played together. Now, many of them are gone on. I have watched them go, and now the society is so fluid, cousins rarely get to even know each other, much less grow up in the same neighborhood.

I was so pleased to see friends from mine and Gramps church come in support of us, and it was a blessing to see them there. It was wonderful to see my friends, Ina Ray, and Dot, there as well. Our neighbors, Scott and Laurie, came with their children. How fortunate we are to be so loved!

Hugh's pastor, Grant, and a former pastor, Earl Wilson, conducted the service for his memorial. The church's music minister, Gene, sang three songs that were beautifully rendered. Two of the songs were "I Can Only Imagine" and "It is Well". Unfortunately, I can't remember the third one, but they were all so fitting.

During the receiving of friends, a powerpoint presentation of pictures of Hugh and his family was being shown in the nave at the entrance to the chapel. It was put together by his grandson and his mother, of pictures supplied by family members. Pictures from my blog yesterday were a part of them.

Last night after the service was over, we were getting ready to go home, and Gramps said he wanted to eat, so we stopped at Shoney's to get some supper, then came on home for the night. Fortunately, we had a place for Carol to sleep and so, were able to bring her home with us. She had been planning to stay with Mae, but then I realized that we had a recently acquired a nice long couch that is very comfortable.

It is now early morning, and I have been sitting here at the computer for an hour, composing my posting for today. I love posting when memories are fresh in my mind. Again, I thank each of you for the wonderful support in words and prayers on our behalf. Today, we are going to the cemetary to place the body of my brother, Hugh, in the ground. It is only a shell, though. His spirit is with Our Heavenly Father. Please know, that if you, my reader, are not a Christian, I pray that you will find Him and accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior.

Today will prove to be a long one for Imazo and her children and grandchildren. However, I know they will get through it. We plan to leave for Knoxville around 9 a.m. this morning. It will probably be tough to get Gramps up and fed and ready to go by 9 a.m.

Well, it is time for me to close this out. More later. This is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for today. Love to all of you. Bye for now.