Not too long ago, I had the opportunity to drive down to Utah with my wonderful husband and his parents. We were making the trip to attend the funeral of Dora Dipo, Carson's grandma. Though the Dipo family and others touched by the life of this wonderful woman were sad, they were also joyful. They realized that Dora could now be reunited with her husband, George, and her Heavenly Father. They knew that she had led a good life and had been a faithful wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and even great-great-grandmother! Though I never met her, it was easy to see her influence as I looked around at the family she'd raised. It was easy to see how dearly she loved them through the love that they gave back to her.
I'm lucky enough to say that I haven't attended many funerals in my life. I am, however, grateful that I was able to attend this one. The word funeral seems to be a sad word with negative connotations but that isn't what I experienced as we celebrated Dora's life. I admit that I shed tears but I wasn't sad for Dora. I was sad for all those that loved her who she had to leave behind for a little while. She'd come to this earth and used her time in the best way anyone could--giving herself to her family.
Thinking about the end of life often reminds those of us in the middle of ours that its finite, that we're not going to have forever here. It certainly makes life in the present very meaningful to know that there is an end to it. It makes me wonder what I'm doing with mine now and if in 60 years I'll be happy that I did it. Sometimes its hard to think about the big picture or see beyond the daily grind. Sometimes I get stuck on the little things. But I think I can honestly say that I'm happy and that I wouldn't want to be anywhere but where I am now, doing what I'm doing now. I have a wonderful husband a wonderful family who I love. Everything else comes second.
