I am a believer in deadlines and I know they bring order, but I had an experience today that seems beyond my comprehension….
We spent a lot of family time yesterday writing my brother’s obituary.
It is a hard task….
It is an emotional task….
It is a tension to be factual and to give a flavor of the amazing man my brother was….
We were satisfied with our final outcome…http://davidcbrownfh.com/fh/obituaries/obituary.cfm?o_id=1885443&fh_id=10873
And today we went to the funeral home and was informed the obituary would not run in the local paper until next week…
We had missed the deadline of last Friday…
Last Friday Len was still living….
How would we make the deadline of last Friday….
I had a tidal wave of emotion begin to well inside me….
By Monday my brother will be buried and the invitation for people to join us in honoring his life will be over….Monday?
I was in tears as I looked at the people behind the counter telling me something I could not comprehend…
I looked at my Mom and we left, in tears, committed to ensuring that Len’s obituary would be circulated so Len would be honored and remembered
I am not sure how deadlines and printed material work, and I am not sure I would have much tolerance for them on this day in my life, but I have to say, if this is the norm, something has to change!
And yet, at the end of today, I know that my brother’s life will be honored and remembered in the coming days regardless of a printed obituary and for that I am deeply thankful!
I love you Len….forever and always!
Jen, Did you hear of Trish’s brother’s death in a car accident? Mom
So sorry. When we wrote my dad’s obituary years ago the paper left out the most important line. “He was a faithful follower of Jesus Christ.” Please know we are praying for your family regulary and I am so sorry that deadlines got in the way of your sharing his story. The obituary was a wonderful tribute to Len’s life.
The obituary has been sent to all Shawnee people. It has been widely distributed- wider than the paper.