A Day of Sorrow:

A bittersweet day. I attended the funeral of my cousin's twenty-eight year old son.
The loss of a child at any age is almost unbearable for a parent. The loss of the physical presence of the child, the goals and dreams for their future; such a grief process to endure. My heart aches for each one of them.
The legacy of Dustin's fun and laughter lives on in his nieces. One of the nieces gave a brief eulogy on his life and the pranks he pulled on them. Through her laughter and tears, she gave a glimpse of the fun times they had. The other three nieces bravely sang a song in his memory. Very touching.
After the cemetery, we gathered at my cousin, Steve and his wife, Liz's house for a meal. My Mom is the only living aunt on the Williams' side of the family and she always says the prayer at a Williams' family meal. Mom and Dad had doctor's appointments in Springfield and weren't able to attend. Steve asked me to say the blessing. I was very honored and tried to do my best. I am not a very good(understatement to say the least) prayer person. It is something my Mom and siblings seem to do with ease, but for the life of me, I cannot say more than a couple sentences. I hope my brief words were a comfort to the family.

Dwayne had to work late yesterday and didn't think he would make it to the visitation. Dwayne and my cousin, Kenny used to work together in St. Louis and always enjoy visiting and sharing their union job stories. Kenny was disappointed Dwayne couldn't make it. Just at the close of the visitation last night, Dwayne walked in. I never saw Kenny break down last night until Dwayne got there. It was very touching and I was proud my husband's visit meant so much to Kenny. They visited awhile and Kenny shared how Dustin had joined the union and he was even buried in his denim union Carpenter's Local (?, I can't remember the number) shirt.

Tonight is the visitation of my good friend and co-worker's (and the boss' wife) mother. Sheila's father just passed away in July of 2010 and the sudden illness and
death of her mother this past week is very hard on her.

Sorrow is suppose to be a part of life, but the grief and emotions on my friend and family members is hard to understand. I pray God gives comfort and strength to each one.