Funeral

You may have noticed that for the first time in quite a while, I have not been faithfully writing a blog entry on a daily basis.  Although I have some topics from this trip to write about and photos to post, the fact of the matter is that with the news of the death of my dear friend Carol, I have simply have not been in the mood to write on the blog.

(Photo from Carol's obituary)

It was a coincidence that we happened to be here in Ohio at the time of her passing.  Although we did not have a chance to see Carol before her passing, we were able to attend the funeral.  

Every day so far during our stay in Ohio has been summery and sunny.  It would have been depressing to attend a funeral on a gray, rainy Ohio day, but the weather was once again beautiful.  We got up early to drive across Greater Cleveland to the next county.  Visitation at the funeral home was just an hour in the morning before the services.  There were several colleagues from the high school where Carol and I taught, although I had hoped to see more.  We had a chance to meet a number of Carol's family.  Earlier this year, before Carol's illness, I had done a painting as a gift for her.  I never had a chance to give it to her, so I gave it to her family.  There were also members of the family of her late husband, Gary.  Gary was my best friend, so I already knew many of them.  However, I had not seen them since Gary's funeral more than fourteen years ago.

From the funeral home, we drove a short distance to Carol's church where a funeral mass was celebrated.  Her nephew gave a beautiful eulogy.  Then there was another short drive to the cemetery where prayers were said.  Then everyone went back to the funeral home where a luncheon was served.

I was a long day, but I was glad that I was able to attend the farewell to a dear friend.