Home again, home again, jiggety jig...

"You can't go home again."
--Thomas Wolfe

"No shit, Sherlock..."
--Sudiegirl

Well, Daddy had a great sendoff. Doug and I got into Iowa late on Friday evening, he came home Tuesday night and I came home last night. Almost one week of being in the land of hearth, home and all that is good - that is, if you ignore the meth labs in abandoned farmhouses, people looking at you funny when you ask for "soda" instead of "pop", and when people find out you live in the DC metro area, ask if you've met the President. (BTW, NO I HAVEN'T MET "W", NOR DO I PLAN TO.)

I shouldn't scoff too much. I mean, my mom was as safe as a kitten when I got there. Many people had already visited her, brought casseroles, cookies and other goodies, and my father passed with many loving, wonderful people at his side. It seemed like wherever we went, someone saw me and passed on condolences. Many people just plain old LIKED the guy. That made me happy. Something tells me that I may not have that luxury when I pass on. But then again, I'll never know, will I?

At Daddy's visitation, the line of people waiting to see him/us went out the door of Beatty's Funeral Home and into the parking lot. It was solid from 6:30 - 8:00 PM! I saw lots of people I hadn't seen for years, and some I would have rather not seen but that's OK too. I saw a friend of mine who had her fourth baby (she neglected to TELL me she had one due to her busy schedule, but that's OK) . Imagine my surprise when I popped over to see her in her van and she was feeding a baby that looked like her. I think my exact words were, "Whose baby is that?" (Duh, Sudiegirl!) It was good for Mom to hold the babies...to me, it was an affirmation that life does indeed go on. I saw other friends of the family, cousins I hadn't seen since the LAST funeral, my grade school band director (who, oddly enough, still likes me even though I think I gave him a hard time), and many other people.

The most interesting thing (and one of the best, I think)...my nieces and nephew had several friends that came either to the visitation or the funeral. They didn't act stupid or anything...they were so respectful and good to Courtney, Cam and Chloe. The friends called him "John Grandpa" just as equally as the grandkids did, and one of Courtney's friends even wrote a poem that Courtie read at the funeral.

And let's TALK about the funeral, shall we?

Daddy had a full house for the funeral. The funeral lunch was divine, put on by the United Methodist Women, and I was a happy puppy. (And if anyone was wondering if I would be eating properly during the time I was away, they haven't been to Iowa in the week following a death. Food is a VERY big part of the whole procedure.) The funeral service was wonderful. Many people came up to speak...family members, former Reservists, etc. Lots of music, a good eulogy from the minister, and it was exactly the way Daddy wanted it. The graveside service was also good...my cousin Travis wanted to coordinate military rites for Dad, and he did it up right. Afterwards, Mom held a "wake" of sorts, where people could come and have coffee and treats and just relax and reminisce.

I think the hardest part of all this was after the funeral. I mean, the excitement (if one wants to call it that) dies down for others, and the survivors are left wondering, "OK, NOW what do I do?" Doug flew out on Tuesday afternoon and I did a lot of sleeping, a lot of crying, and a lot of just being with Mom and Ruthie's kids.

But I did learn that my mother has several sets of loving arms around her and she will be safe and protected. She's also no dummy, and had many things in place so she won't flounder in the weeks to come financially speaking. And I pity the fool who tries to screw with her.


So what will Sudiegirl do today while she has one last day to herself? Well, I'll probably sleep (see artist's depiction at left), do lunch with a friend, and rehearse for a benefit gig at BlackRock Center for the Arts on Sunday evening. Oh, yeah, and hug my kitties. I love my baby kitties...I missed them a lot. They almost got a little playmate, but I forgot to pack her. Oh well, there's always next time!

Anyway, I think I'll start on the sleeping part right away. For those of you who left notes of encouragement, thank you so much. For those of you who are so inclined, hug your mom and dad and tell them how you feel about them (if the feeling is good).

Thanks for reading my blatherings...

Sudiegirl the mourning, but slowly recovering