Farewell, Don

Today, the 'Rents and I attended the funeral of one of the sweetest, gentlest souls you would ever hope to me, our friend Don.  We were in the same Sunday School class, and my only regret is that I didn't join that class sooner so I could have gotten to know him better. 

After the church service on Sunday mornings, I always go to my "office" aka the radio room, where I collect the two-way radios from our security monitors and put them back on the chargers.  I stand in the doorway, and I'm able to see everyone as they are walking out from church.  It was a favorite time of mine because Don and his wife Leila would always stop and give me a hug and thank me for "keeping us safe." 

On the way home from the funeral, the 'Rents and I were talking about some of the things that were said about Don during the service - how he was an expert wood worker and mechanic, and how he made a 1/3 size replica of the Sopwith Camel in his basement. I made the comment of how it's sad that you only find out things about a person at their funeral.  I thought about that the rest of the way home, and thanks to Don's legacy, I'm going to start learning more about friends.

At the end of the photograph slide show that featured pictures of Don's family, the very last words were "93 years of love."  That truly is something to strive for.