"Gran's funeral

July 3, 2011

Today was “Gran’s” funeral.  All week long people walked the trail alongside the Presbytery/Children’s Home toward Gran’s family homes, continuing to offer their condolences.  Last night singing and chanting began at nightfall and continued all night long.  People cried and wailed loudly, dealing with their grief in the moment.  Early this morning the funeral procession formed and people walked toward the church to hold the funeral service.  (I don’t know why it wasn’t held here…the family all attends church here, but, perhaps Gran belonged to the church that held the service.)  I watched as the procession returned to the family homestead.  People in the procession were all dressed up in dark suits and white dresses.  A marching band followed the family.  They all had paraded from the church, about a mile and a half away.  Gran was in a white casket that was in a white Cadillac hearse that parked just in front of the Presbytery because that’s where the road stops.  Most of the people here at the Children’s Home attended the funeral.  Some had stayed up all night with the family.  Our girls dressed up in their finest…Gastina in a white and gold dress.  Christian wore a black double breasted suit, about 4 sizes too large for him.  The youngest children stayed home with Wonald and me.