Birth at a Funeral

Last week, I had to return home for my grandfather’s funeral. The day was filled with family and cousins and people I had never met before. An introvert’s nightmare. But, I was eager to see some people that I dearly missed and to make final peace with someone who I never felt was that interested in being an involved person in my life.

Many people introduced themselves and told me how much they admired my grandfather and missed him. More often than not, they said he spoke of my brother and I often and that he was always very proud of us. I just wish he would have told me. He was never that great at offering words of affirmation. But then, neither am I.

The funeral service was just as we all expected - complete with Elvis Presley renditions of gospel classics. When the casket was closed, everyone seemed grateful  for the time to let things go, content to leave the baggage in the past and remember the good.

I suppose that's a lesson in itself. Learning to let things go.

It was a long day for us all. The service was held in Missouri, but the burial was in south-east Kansas. That is a lot of driving. Especially for my aunt, who happened to be thirty-eight weeks pregnant.

That night, just a few hours after they returned from the funeral to where they were staying, my aunt went into labor. By the next morning, a new cousin had been added to the Wade family.

Now, my family and friends know that babies terrify me. They are small, more flexible than cats, need consistent and regular attention, and they absolutely suck at communicating. The squeal of a young child strikes fear into my heart.

Photo credit: Tracey Wade

That being said... This one was pretty cute.

In just twenty-four hours, the Wade family experienced an event of finality and an event of newness.

The coolest part about life is that it's always giving us opportunities to start over and to do better. Finishing chapters and starting new ones. Each morning brings us the option of leaving yesterday in the past and creating something new today. And I find that to be incredibly comforting.