The funeral for my sister was today. I think it went about as well as can be expected. Lots of laughter. Lots of tears. Quite a few surprises. Some of those started in the days before the funeral.
I'm not easily surprised. It's not that I'm soooo smart that things can't get by me- it's just that I think I generally know what to expect in certain situations. The past few days, I can say I've been surprised and humbled.
As word spread about my sister passing away, I was surprised when we heard from certain people. I was surprised when we didn't hear from some others. I was surprised at how some people expressed their support, especially for my wife.
Shanna is one of the only employees at the school that are not salaried. That means that some of her vacation/sick days get used up for times like Christmas break and other holidays when she otherwise wouldn't get paid. At this point in the year, she has no unpaid leave. Obviously, she was going to take whatever time she needed, and the folks at the school were going to allow it, but then came the surprises.
The staff was there for Shanna all day Friday, giving her whatever emotional support they could, and grieving with her. More than one person told Shanna that they would be willing to give her some of their unpaid time off so that she didn't have to worry about the financial impact of missing work. One person came up to the school just to offer their condolences and to ask if they could help with the reception arrangements and duties. This is someone that didn't know my sister, but knew us and reached out to offer help. I received some encouraging emails from people that I didn't necessarily expect to hear from. Pastor Chuck stayed in contact to see how we were doing. Other friends stayed in contact to see how we were doing. These people reaching out was humbling and appreciated more than I'll ever be able to express, but I'll try, and I hope this is a small start.
There were more surprises at the funeral today, and I'll try to get to those tomorrow.
Monday, April 28, 2008
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5 comments:
We are praying for you and yours. We wish we could be there to grieve and mourn your loss and to share and celebrate Andrea's life! But, alas, you will just have to "feel the love" flowing down I-75 from K-ville to "Bird-ville".
We love you...if you need someone to listen to you tell stories or you just need someone to listen to you cry, we are only a phone call away...I am sure Verizon (or Alltell) would appreciate all the charges you would rack up!!
AC
Jim, Shanna, and Abbey,
We just heard the news. I'm so terribly sorry for your loss. I know how much Andrea meant to all of you. May God be there to comfort all of you during this tough transition. May he alone give you strength to help others get through the loss.
We love you guys and we are grieving with you.
God's Blessings,
Dean & Mary
Anna,
I appreciate you all staying in touch over the last few days. Even yesterday, when we missed James' call, it was still nice to hear from you all.
Mary,
Thank you. I know not everyone heard what happened. We appreciate your support.
I'm so glad to hear of all the support you have received. But not surprised... you 2 are wonderful people and those around you are only doing what they see YOU do, caring for others...
will continue to pray for peace and comfort as you guys start getting back to your "normal" schedules.
Thanks, Val. I appreciate that.
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