All's well that ends well - well sort of

Yesterday was "the" funeral.   I was in church before it, and another of the women was so shocked to hear that Grace had died.  She is about the only one in the congregation that isn't on Facebook, and that seems to be the preferred method of communication in the church. ]In fact, the pastor kids this woman about not being on Facebook telling her she needs an account.

This probably isn't wise.  This family is among the top ten givers of the church.  (How do I know this - pastor stupidly held a reception for those people two years ago at Christmas to get our ideas on increasing income in the church.  And NOTHING has changed.  He didn't want to hear our ideas, he wanted us to completely buy into his ideas.  And I digress).  She is already upset by our monetary situation.  She is upset that we are still meeting in a store front in a strip center.  She is upset that we do nothing to bring the youth in with more activities for them rather than just ignoring them (the perceived impression is that children are the worst thing to deal with.).  She is about ready to leave.  It will be a blow - both monetarily and support the work of the church.

Anyway, we left here at 8:30.  "We" were greeters and ushers, but G was the reader and communion assistant.  That meant I was the greeter/usher.  So we worked that service.  After church we went to lunch at a new restaurant which is delicious, and I want to go back - when the big Methodist church's Sunday School class isn't lunching there.  Plus I was in a hurry.  I still needed to buy a fruit tray, a deli tray, and whatever else, then drive pretty much across town for the viewing at 1 and funeral at 2.

To cut to the chase - I got all that done.  There were five other church members there (four were of one family) and many Masonic and Eastern Star friends.  When I got to the house, there was already a lot of food - then I put out the food that Daughter and I bought.

I thought people wouldn't eat much.   I forgot that the oldsters eat dinner at 5.  Just being rude here, but those people were like locusts.  They stationed themselves in the small alcove where the food was laid out.  Looked like a group of vultures!

 Then the Eastern Star ladies arrived.  I knew at that point the cavalry had arrived.  I was once in that organization, and when one of their own is in need, all is solved.  They brought sooooooo much more food.  Of course, the vultures were still stationed about the table.  I hope the family has some food left for a couple of dinners and all.  The two brothers from out of town are there (burial is today because the cemetery doesn't do their thing except Monday-Friday) so the house is rather full of just Grace's extended family.

There are still many, many hard feelings since our pastor hasn't made contact with the family at all.  I wonder if he will ever realize the hole that remains in our ministries with those three women gone??  I certainly do.  It means three Sunday School teachers are gone.  We only had six to begin with.  Sad.