Funeral

I attended a funeral today for a man who believed in Bigfoot, shot a bear, caught a sturgeon, and wore fluorescent lime fleece pants on all his outdoor adventures.  He also was a spiritual man and an amazing father to ten outstanding kids.  Five of the kids go to my school, and the youngest one (Fanci) is four.  Benny is in my math, writing, and science class.  This is a strong family, but how do you go forward?  I'm grateful that they have a deep faith and a lot of support from family and friends.

The services were in Paul, a small farming town just passed Burley.  Seven of us from school made the 2 1/2 hour trip.  We had a hard time finding the Ebenezer Congregational Church.  There must have been five churches in a town that's only about five blocks long.  The pastor was the kids' uncle, and the funeral was really beautiful.  We all came out of the church completely drained though.  It was good to see all the kids and give them hugs.  (I love their names:  Benny, Ivy, Summer, Dexter, Glorie B., who goes by her middle name Belle, and Fanci.) 

We stopped at the Garden or Eden on the way back for lunch, Excedrin, and snacks.  For such a sad occasion, we really had a very nice time being together.  There were four teachers and the principal in the car I was in.  We talked about our religions, families, and backgrounds.  I found out my principal's father was a criminal and Lora's husband was beaten in an armed robbery when he worked at Wendy's.  We got to know each other better and we like each other even more.  It was a beautiful day.