Trip Diary: Day Six

Dear Jonah and Gracie,

On Tuesday morning we dressed Jonah in slacks, a button up shirt, a belt, SOCKS (we don't "do" socks in Arizona), and dress shoes. Gracie wore her frilly Sunday dress and favorite Pediped shoes. We packed up the car and headed to Daddy's family's funeral home.

I've always been creeped out by funeral homes. They tend to be dark with floor to ceiling curtains, poor lighting, sad music, and they're filled with crying people. But your Daddy grew up playing in this one.

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It's a beautiful old 2 story house, bright and cheerful, and owned by, and filled to the brim, with family. Not like any funeral home I've ever been in before. There were aunts and uncles sitting on the couches, cousins in the kitchen, aunts and uncles visiting in the hallways, cousins in the doorway, cousins playing behind the curtains, cousins on the front porch, cousins sliding down the stairs. How can you be sad in a house full of cousins?!

Your McGrandpa came to the funeral too, which ended up being a God-send, because Gracie was tuckered out and cranky. He strolled Gracie around in the cool morning breeze under the huge old trees while Jonah and Mama entered the chapel with Daddy's family. We sat down next to Aunt Angie, and all was quiet for 45 seconds. That's when Jonah, you decided very LOUDLY that you were staaaaarving. You whispered to me at first, but then you got more urgent, and finally hollered, "my stomach is growling, I'm SOOOOOO hungry, Mama!" I promptly ushered you out the side door.

I wonder what you will remember about your first funeral, Jonah. Certainly nothing sad or creepy. Maybe the policemen waiting outside the funeral home who offered to let you sit on their motorcycles? Maybe the warm smiles of Daddy's cousins who own the funeral home, and their stash of peanut butter crackers in the funeral home's kitchen? Maybe that they let you eat all the crackers you wanted and watch the Disney Channel in the kitchen instead of sitting through the service? Maybe the silly faces you made into their oscillating fan? Maybe the "parade" of cars with flashing lights headed to the cemetery? Or maybe Uncle Byrum letting you explore the front-loader at the cemetery while everyone else attended the grave-side service? I hope you understand one day how unique that experience was.

When the services were all over, we visited Granny Florine's headstone, and Gracie ran around squealing and smiling in her frilly little get-up. Lunch was served by friends at the church Great-Grandpa and Mammaw spent 30 years of their lives attending. We fought over who would get the last of the homemade chicken n' dumplings. Everything was delicious.

After hugs and kisses and some crying, we said our goodbyes and ended the day back in the car driving to Austin, TX for a last minute visit with the Rowdy Girls.