Okay, so you know how this happens?
I’m at the funeral home – I’ve agreed to do a small, private funeral for a family I don’t know and I’m just doing my sincere best and wanting it to be really lovely, of course, and I get to the end of the service and I pull my page 3 over and there’s no page 4!
I know you’ve been there. I had meta-meta-mind going on. On one level I was saying these words,
Give to those who most deeply feel this loss the comfort of your healing presence, God, today and in all the seasons of their grief until the day they feel joy in their remembering, and hurt no more.
And I’m thinking,
oh damn am i missing a page? did i just put these in the wrong order when i put nicole’s eulogy in there? okay, well, just keep in track here, you can do this… the lord’s prayer is coming next, if you choke you can just conclude there and then say amen and move right to the benediction hmmm let me shuffle around surreptitiously here i don’t want to look like i’m frantic… measured tone, keep it together
And on yet another level beneath that I’m thinking,
i really hate when things like this happen they happen so infrequently well it’s just another reason to always double and triple-check everything before I leave the house… didn’t have coffee this morning, that might be the problem…
And then,
OH GOOD, here’s my fourth page we’re good to go. That was a close call. At least this might make a funny post on BTFM.
*laughing*
Oh yes, those moments. Amazing how many levels of thought start layering up.
BTDT!! Well, up until the 4th layer. But I do often think that my clergy friends will LOVE my story ….
Oh do I know this. Hoping the panic doesn’t register, and the ums don’t start to sprout like big neon red flowers saying, “non-professional alert!” The worst was when I was late to a graveside service and thought I kinda remembered where it was and kinda told them I would bring the flowers, or did they say they were, and, oooh, ooh, bad minister… And that was where I started to hear “Ding! Fries are done!” and started to laugh and it was okay.
Oooh, I have SOOO been there…