Say GoodBye

Yesterday was a sad day.  I said goodbye to a high school classmate.  First let me say that I never talked to Ken in high school but that does not mean I don't care.  I am the official contact person for our high school class.  I do the cards, flowers, used to do the newsletter and I'm the keeper of all the important info and contact info.  He passed away after a battle with lung cancer and then brain cancer.  Ken left a wife, two daughters and four granddaughters.  He was a loving father, brother, husband, and grandfather.  He was a hard worker who loved to be in the great outdoors which was evident by the place he lived, in the country in a really fixed up cabin.  Ken was a football and wrestling star in high school and a ladies man.  All of the stuff outside of high school was new to me and really most of the high school stuff as I really didn't know him at all in school.  It was so cool today to see the church filled up with former classmates from our graduating class and the classes below us and above us.  It told a lot about who he was and who we are from the small town I'm from.  His sister gave a very wonderful eulogy telling the room what a good guy Ken was.  One of our classmates I noticed at the end of the pew was just crying to beat the band.  I asked later and was told that Ken had called him about a month before to have lunch and the guy didn't have time.  He was feeling the guilt at that moment.  So sad really. 

Now I'm going to be a little bad and I may get struck down but I have to say this.  The memorial service was just wonderful and all the talk about Ken was about 15 minutes long.  I have to interject here that it also took place at a Baptist church.  Now, after the 15 minute spiel the preacher got up.  Here we go.  We were PREACHED to for the rest of the hour, 45 minutes of non-stop preaching.  Trying to save our miserable souls.  Should anyone want to give themselves to....blah, blah, blah...  I'm sorry but you can tell here that I'm NOT that kind of person.  I actually used to be heavily involved in church and all it was about but I...well, not going there.  My point is that this was a special occasion to say goodbye to a friend and family guy not be saved.  If I wanted to be preached to or saved I would go to my church and not someones memorial service.  Sorry, I'm going to step down from the soapbox and try to remember the good guy who has left his mark on this world.