Funeral today

Our dear friend and colleague Mike died last week after a six or seven week ordeal. He had heart bypass surgery and was recovering really well, and then had a stroke and was finally starting to recover from that, and then got pneumonia and died. I had forgotten how l-o-n-g big Catholic funeral masses can be. Long. But, the church was full to the rafters and the Mayor and most of the city council were there even. I think it's probably a comfort to the family to have so many people and such a manifestation of their loved one's service to and connections in the community.

Lovely service except there was the whole: Catholics who are able can come forward and receive communion. . .everyone else, stay where you are. (For those of you not steeped in the Catholic faith, I'm no longer eligible to receive communion, pretty much, ever, since IVF is considered a mortal sin because "extra" embryos are created and they "die," and, also, some people end up discarding unused embryos (which we did not) and I refuse to repent and say I would never do it again, because, well, of course I would do it again if it were the only way to have a child, which, for us, it was.)

Anyway, the whole thing was pretty long on theology and pretty short on fun stories about Mike and what a great guy he was, and what a profound difference he made in so many lives and in this community. And that was too bad, because I heard at the cookies and coffee after that lots of people had some really fun stories they were hoping to share. Rest easy Mike, you'll be sorely missed, but there is an entire town (pulse some more) of people who are going to do their best to help take care of your lovely spouse and beautiful daughters. And, I hear you might get a public memorial down at the new LOTT interpretative center or at rotary park---wouldn't that be something to make you grin!