FINAL GOODBYES

The morning dawned dark and dreary. The grey clouds fit my mood, and I entered the church to say my final goodbye to a great guy, MMB (My Man Bill.) TLW (The Little Woman) and I found our customary pew in the church, and sat to await the family. We decided not to go to the funeral parlor before mass, so that the family could have some privacy in their last goodbyes.

What followed I never expected. The church was packed with mourners, true mourners who were saying goodbye to a true man, and a true Christian. The Priest delivered his sermon and after the mass, we left for the cemetery. I figured a few of us would get in our cars and follow the hearse to the cemetery after the mass. About 50 cars followed! It was the most amazing thing I have ever seen! The “hearse” was towed by a three-wheel motorcycle, which looked like it should have been pulled by a horse. It had an old west flavor, and I am sure that MMB was thrilled to go in such style. It was like the man himself: stylish, cool, and a lot of special class!

The motorcade stretched for over a mile as we all followed, over 25 miles to MMB’s final resting place. Cars had a hard time trying to figure out how to approach the motorcade to navigate onto the Long Island Expressway! Fortunately, we all knew enough to allow the cars to penetrate the long line so they could enter or get off the road.

When we got to the St. Charles Cemetery, the long convoy that carried love for the man needed every available space and empty roadside to park. The people slowly gathered at the gravesite, and listened in reverence and heart felt sorrow as we all said goodbye.

When the priest had finished his service, MMB’s father-in-law asked for a moment of indulgence and explained that when the family went through MMB’s wallet, after he passed on, they found a piece of paper with some handwriting on it. It was something that MMB carried with him for over 20 years. It truly moved the man to tell us about it, and have it printed on his funeral cards. It read:

“If I die suddenly
Please be glad for me
I will have peace-
Nothing will ever hurt me again,
Be happy for me to have these things.
Just remember that I left
With the hope of leaving
The strength, ability and wish
To be honorable and that you
Never let anyone take
These things away from you.
Be strong and kind
And know I left smiling and happy
And you smile
And be happy too."

And so, we leave MMB in his final resting place, our hearts.

Please remember all those that need our hopes and prayers, including my brother-in-law, John.