Well, my Uncle's funeral is over and, despite the sadness at losing another family member, the service and the "reception" afterwards was a wonderful chance for our now farflung family to get together. I found out things about Uncle that I never knew- for instance, that he was not only a pilot in World War II, but an instructor pilot. The Air Force sent someone to present a flag to my Aunt and it was done in such a dignified, beautiful ceremony.

Another good outcome of this funeral was that we decided as a family to re-start our annual Christmas get togethers, which we did for 41 straight years, before skipping the last 3 years.

My Uncle was also a Mason, and the Masons did a part of the service. This is one area in which my Family background came roaring in and I really haven't thought about this one- how much I accept of the anti-Mason Letters, that they are demonic, etc. The service itself had elements which could be seen either way- ringing bells, the Masonic apron and sprigs of acacia to be buried with Uncle, etc. The Masonic leaders who spoke gave a very Christian message of eternal life. I remember my father (also deceased) was also a Mason, and as a child I watched him have to memorize his lines in many secret rituals which were written in a book which he kept under lock and key and which was all written in code. Anyone looked into this post-Family?

Laura

> As a child, I was blessed with a fairly
> close knit extended family of aunts, uncles,
> and cousins who all lived within an hour or
> less of each other. We saw each other often,
> we kids ran into each other at school
> events, etc. etc. We got together without
> fail every summer for one full weekend at a
> summer camp, and every Christmas Day at one
> of our homes for a huge family extravaganza.

> Despite having basically ignored these ties
> for 23 years, when I returned to my home
> area 6 years ago after leaving The Family, I
> was welcomed back with no reservations,
> along with my children, and resuming these
> ties was a joy.

> In the last 6 years, two uncles and three
> aunts have passed away, and another uncle
> has succumbed to advancing senility. The
> cousins are scattered geographically, the
> summer camp location for our annual reunions
> is gone, and Christmas Day has moved to a
> restaurant and decreased significantly in
> size.

> I am writing this because one aunt and one
> uncle, my godfather, have died in the last
> week. Another funeral coming up on Saturday.
> It feels like the ending of an era, and it
> saddens me to think that I was gone for so
> many years and now it's "too
> late."

> And even more than that- I distinctly
> remember my parents, when I was a teenager,
> talking sadly about how they were losing so
> many friends and family members and
> attending so many funerals. Now I know what
> they meant- it's a sad rite of passage, I
> guess, as we get older.

> Despite the fact that, as I have previously
> written on this board, I sometimes wish I'd
> not had 6 kids, right now I think to myself,
> "Thank God I have the opportunity to
> grow my family- as my kids get older, have
> their own families, etc." And I guess
> we'll have to try to create our own new
> traditions.

> Anybody else ever experience this? Or am I
> just being depressing- I hope not, if so, my
> apologies!

> Laura