This morning we finally buried my former mother-in-law, Carmen. It was a hot, blustery morning and the small country cemetery was green and pretty. The service was low-key, simple and short, and afterward, five of Carmen’s grandsons, ages 2-7, diligently helped their grandpa throw shovelfuls of dirt into her grave.
When she died in early March, the ground was far too muddy to bury her, so we had to wait. We planned to do it the first weekend in May, but my former father-in-law ended up in the hospital and nearly died himself. Now that he’s on the road to recovery, he rescheduled for today instead.
I really didn’t think the burial would affect me much because I feel like I’ve already dealt with her death, for the most part. There’s something so raw about watching a loved one’s body being lowered into the ground though; it definitely gives a sense of finality, a sentiment echoed audibly by Cody’s wailing. I wasn’t prepared for the waves of sadness and loss that I felt all over again at seeing her put into her final resting place.
As illustrated in the movie It’s a Wonderful Life, the impact of one person’s life cannot be underestimated. The little group gathered at her graveside today was just a fraction of the many people she’s touched, and we will all forever be profoundly affected by the life that was hers.
Wow, Sarah.
Oh Sarah,
I have been thinking and wondering when the family had rescheduled to bury Carm. Hope Rick is feeling alot better. I can’t imagine how I would feel burying my mom or Carm for that matter. I’ve never liked the burial part of funerals much anyway when I was younger. Maybe now it would be better since I know that death isn’t a totally bad thing for the person dieing, just really hard for those left behind to understand.
I read the book, “90 minutes in heaven”, and it made me feel much better about death and knowing what a wonderful place we have waiting for us to go to someday. I often wish God would come back sooner then later.
I’m glad to hear you and the family finally got the burial completed and hope it gives everyone a sense of closure, if you know what I mean.
Love you sooo much!!