A call out of the blue...

It was Memorial Day, 2 days after my return from KY, when Maxine called. "Wayne asked that you preside at his funeral," she said. Wayne & Maxine had moved to Rapid City, SD, in 1969. Since then we only saw each other when we happened to be home in Sinai at the same time.
In the late fifties I worked for them on the farm. The hard winter of '68-'69 convinced them a better life was to be found off the farm. They were very important to me in the years of transition from high school until I enlisted in the Marines in '59. But I never expected to be asked to preside at his funeral.
When I was working for them they had two children, four were born later, whom I didn't know. Jeannie, the oldest, died about 9 years ago. I flew to Rapid Thursday and the funeral was that afternoon. It was a blessing to sit with family for two hours telling Wayne stories reminding me of what a rare privilege it is to be a pastor. The funeral was at 2pm followed by refreshments. After that the whole family convened at Maxine's house for dinner and more conversation. It was one of those experiences where we picked up where we'd left off 50 years earlier but now it included more children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The obvious comfort and affection among the family members attested to good parenting and a healthy family. I was blessed by the experience.