A Wreck...a Wedding...and a Funeral

The weekend isn't over yet, but it's already been an eventful one.  Through it all, the celebration of life, as well as how quickly it passes and how it changes in an instant, has been the common thread. 

Friday afternoon, on my way to the funeral home, Tim was involved in a wreck.  We had just seen each other, as the fire station sits directly in front of the funeral home where my great-aunt Aggie was being held.  As I pulled in to say hello, the page went off, dispatching Tim to a wreck - coincidentally from an area I just left.  We waved hellos and "I love yous", going our separate ways.

Of course, entering the funeral home my phone was silenced in my purse.  Sitting beside my Grandma Coons, I noticed Tim calling but figured he just wanted to talk since we didn't get the chance before.  An hour later, as I walked out to pick up Noah, his voicemail stopped me on the sidewalk.  "Don't worry but I've been in a wreck" was all I needed to bolt to my truck and call him. 

On the way to the wreck he was dispatched to, a lady pulled in front of the firetruck he was in, causing another minor wreck.  Tim certainly had protection from above, as one failed moved could've sent his truck quickly over on its side.  Even though he told me he was ok, I was teary-eyed and shaky until I made it back to see him in person and put my arms around him.  Protectively, I sent him to the ER for a check-up as Noah and I returned to the funeral home so he could visit with family.

Later that evening, we dropped Noah off to a birthday pool party and enjoyed a leisurely dinner, just happy to be together.  I fell asleep on his chest that night, (on the side not sore from the wreck), prayerfully thankful for his safety.  It was a whirlwind day full of a roller coaster of emotions.  Today echoed yesterday's theme, as on the calendar were both a wedding and a funeral. 

I returned to the funeral home to say goodbye to Aunt Aggie this morning.  My Grandma's sister, I will always remember her as the spunky-stubborn-and-sometimes-grouchy-Great-Aunt Aggie.  She was one of kind.  Her funeral was a celebration of her life, filled with funny stories and family memories.   And although she will be missed, my Uncle Bob said it best with, "this is not a tragedy...she is now HOME."  Even though the circumstances for why we gathered were laced with sadness, it was nice to reconnect with family I had not seen in years.  Technology was it is, will never replace putting your arms around relatives, looking into familial eyes and sharing moments.

The evening closed with a romantic walk down memory lane and attending the daughter's wedding of long-time friends.  The parents of the bride were actually the first wedding Tim and I attended as a couple.  Dropping Noah off at my mom's, I could see us posing in front of her plums trees all those years ago.  It was our first "dress up" outing and I was excited to go as his date.  Who would've imagined the life we'd create together, twenty some odd years later.  Once seated at the outdoor wedding, holding Tim's hand, we watched the beautiful bride, who we remember holding as a baby, walk down the aisle.  It was a blessing to see her begin a new chapter, and a new life, together with her husband.

In an instant, life changed...life ended...life began. 

Moments...that's all we get with the people we love.