Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust

A definite sign of getting older is the number of funerals I attend. It’s March, and I have attended two this year.

At first, it was the grandparents of friends. Now, I am starting to get into the parents of friends. Soon, it will be the siblings and spouses of friends. [As I typed the last sentence it occurred to be that it could come across as morbid. It’s not meant to. It’s just a reflection on the fact that we are getting older.]

As we got older, so did our grandparents and parents. It’s the oddest thing. I have a weird feeling about it that I can’t describe. I think about the kids in my life. My niece/cousin Sade will turn one in a few months. When she reaches the age I am currently at, I will be knocking on 70. Time moves so quickly. The year just started and we are already close to mid-March.

The first funeral I attended was a church member’s stepdaughter who passed in the earthquake in Haiti. I joined my church’s hospitality committee and we were in charge of setting up and taking down the refreshments. I ushered at today’s funeral, which was for a dad of a friend of mine.

At the end, I realized that I am at a loss of words to say at funerals. I can do the regular sorry for your loss and hold on the memories. Serving ends up being away to express my sentiments by just trying to care for some basic needs be it a fan or tissue or serving food or ushering.

There was a point in time where I felt like I was involved in everything at my church. I scaled it back to just two things: ushering and the church newsletter. Now, I have added two more things: the hospitality committee and the website committee. I think they compliment what I already have on my plate, and more importantly are things that God has given me natural talent and genuine interest in.

I guess what I am trying to say is that life is short. We must work while it is still day. We must use or gifts and talents to serve God and serve people. There is work to be done!