Our lives have been turned upside down since Thursday afternoon. We have spent every day from morning till midnight at Mima’s house. We have laughed and cried for the last four days. This has been the most blessed and grace-filled period of grief I have ever experienced.

Friday, we sat around the table to share and write down our favorite stories of Granddaddy. He had pet-names for all of us (over 30)! We also noted as many of his sayings that we could remember. Then, we pulled out every photo album and box of pictures we could find and started to make a slideshow. We ended up with a show of over 200 pictures that spanned the life of our Granddaddy.

Sunday night was the visitation and viewing. It was supposed to last from 5 til 8, but the last hug wasn’t given until about 9:30. Granddaddy was loved and well-respected by hundreds of people. Most folks waited in line for two hours to pay their respects. After that, we all sat around and ate some more, talked, and planned the next step.

The funeral was today. I was really dreading this part. While there was much sorrow, there was so much joy! We had a great, God-exalting, hour-long celebration in his honor at the church he helped build. Having two ministers for sons-in-law, it was a very special, tailor-made service. Just as he asked, the gospel was proclaimed and many seeds were sown.

During dinner, Hubby showed the slideshow he created. I think everyone was surprised and blessed by it.

We spent the rest of the afternoon eating, watching the kiddos play, eating, talking, eating, watching the kids play, and eating. This evening, the guitars came out. We sang our favorite songs and hymns until midnight. Songs like “Amazing Grace,” and “Grandma’s Featherbed.” This is the stuff of life and it is good for grief.

We’re going back to Mima’s tomorrow. Somebody’s gotta eat all that food!