Uncle Jack

Today was my Uncle Jack's memorial service.  My mom, dad and I were all able to be there.  The service was very nice with a lot of family members, friends and church members in attendance.  The pastor did a fantastic job of adding a little bit of humor to the day while still reflecting on the seriousness of the event.  He encouraged everyone to share stories and memories.  Those were really nice to hear.  The service lasted about 45 minutes, ending just before a downpour started.  

I thought a lot about my Uncle Jack's service once I got home.  It was apparent that his immediate family was very sad.  I remembered feeling the same way when my PawPaw died, so I could completely relate to them.  Although I felt bad that they were hurting, this service for me was a lot easier to attend than when my cousin Mark died.  Uncle Jack had lived a full life during his 82 years on this planet.  Mark wasn't much older than I am now when his life was cut short by a drunken driver.  It was harder to find peace with his death.

I shared all of this with Meg today and also the concern that everyone had about my Aunt Bev's health.  There were a lot of opinions about what my aunt should do going forward to prolong her own life.  Meg said that Father Patrick was talking to her group at church last Sunday about the same topic.  He said that Catholics were not just Pro Life, but Pro Quality of Life.  The church understood refusing treatment to prolong life if a person so desired.  The church felt that quality of life at the end was extremely important.  I felt really good about hearing that as I would agree with Father Patrick.  Everyone should have the right to chose when to fight and when to say enough.  For now, I'm just glad that no one in our family has to make that choice.