The Day After...

The past few days have passed in a blur. The viewing on Sunday evening was a true testament to the man my father was. Hundreds of people stood in line at the mortuary, waiting to pay their respects to our family. Everyone loved Dad so much. He was a genuinely kind and wonderful man.

The funeral was beautiful, and we couldn't have asked for better weather. David and I sang "O Lord, My Redeemer" and it went really well. Everyone told us how moving and beautiful it was. 7 of the youngest grandchildren sang "I'm Trying To Be Like Jesus", and it was incredibly sweet. I know that Grandpa was smiling down at them. He loved his grandkids so much, and it makes my heart ache to know that most of my children won't remember Grandpa Marshall. They won't be able to recall their time spent with him, and the way he smiled as soon as they walked in the door. I just hope that by keeping his picture around our home and talking about him often, they will know what an incredible man their grandpa was.

Riding in the limousine with my mom and sisters was a very special time. As we approached the grave site, we saw another funeral going on nearby, and standing beside a tree was a bagpipe player. We couldn't believe how lucky we were! My mom had wanted so badly to have bagpipes at the funeral, but it was too expensive. Just after we all gathered around the grave site, the piper began to play. I sat there with tears flowing, certain that Dad had a hand in making sure that my mom got what she wanted. That was the kind of husband and father that he always was.

It has been an exhausting couple of days, but I was able to handle it a lot better than I thought I would. I know that this is due to the fact that my family has all been able to gather together and rally around each other, and also because of David and the support he has shown me.