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I'm Sad to Say


DocWard

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Without going into details, it appears that I may be responsible for eulogizing my dad. Not what I had hoped to do, but not something I will shirk away from. We'll see how it goes.

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2 minutes ago, DocWard said:

Without going into details, it appears that I may be responsible for eulogizing my dad. Not what I had hoped to do, but not something I will shirk away from. We'll see how it goes.

Remember the good, the love, the fun. You will do fine. Make him proud one more time. 

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1 hour ago, Pat Riot, SASS #13748 said:

Remember the good, the love, the fun. You will do fine. Make him proud one more time. 

 

It seems the person that did my mom's service, and that my dad wanted to speak at his, is unavailable due to illness. So, unless an alternative that we are comfortable with is located, both my older sister and brother wish me to do it.

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1 hour ago, DocWard said:

 

It seems the person that did my mom's service, and that my dad wanted to speak at his, is unavailable due to illness. So, unless an alternative that we are comfortable with is located, both my older sister and brother wish me to do it.

 

A hard job, but a rewarding one in its own way.   
Two days before the funeral for my Dad my oldest brother called me and said that he hadn't lined up any clergy to conduct the service, but HEY!  You're some sort of clergy, aren't you Joe?  Will you do it? This as I'm getting ready to drive from Santa Rosa to Vista/Oceanside CA.

 

Yes, I am "some sort of clergy" but a funeral is well above my grade.  Plus I needed someone to sing the responses as, other than the Hours, you can't do an Orthodox service with only one person.  My wife was going to stay home, mind the dogs, and go to work.  Well....she called her boss to say she had to go to the funeral.  I borrowed a few of the choirs binders from church and we sent most of I-5 figuring out what parts I could chant, what parts I HAD to include even though they are parts for the priest or deacon.   Ended up with something usable and not too presumptuous on my part.  Got lots of compliments.

A bit of humor - My brother did get a color guard and an honor guard from Camp Pendleton.   The First Sgt. told us what they were going to do, and then I spent 5 minutes trying to explain to him that no, he was NOT firing a 21 gun salute, his party of 7 was going to fire three volleys, which is not the same thing.  He kept insisting that it was a 21 gun salute.  (sigh) And him a Marine First Sergeant.  

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It appears I am going to be the one delivering the eulogy. It is written, and I will practice it a bit tonight and again tomorrow morning. Then, what happens, happens. I delivered the eulogy for my father-in-law, and I somehow made it through, so hopefully I will make it through this one as well.

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17 minutes ago, DocWard said:

It appears I am going to be the one delivering the eulogy. It is written, and I will practice it a bit tonight and again tomorrow morning. Then, what happens, happens. I delivered the eulogy for my father-in-law, and I somehow made it through, so hopefully I will make it through this one as well.

 

You'll do fine.  You'll take a breath, center yourself, then start.  You won't be aware of what you are saying, but it will be perfect, then you will come back to yourself and wonder how you did.

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Before you begin, take a deep breath, close your eyes for a moment, then begin.  You have the strength.  Just let your heart speak.  The rest will come.

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On 12/16/2021 at 6:05 PM, DocWard said:

Without going into details, it appears that I may be responsible for eulogizing my dad. Not what I had hoped to do, but not something I will shirk away from. We'll see how it goes.

Take a deep breath and speak from your heart.  It will go over just fine.

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Well, I made it through it. The response was positive. My oldest sister and my brother were both pleased, and possibly most importantly, my aunt was happy with the job I did. She is my dad's last surviving sibling, and I wasn't sure she would make it. When she did, I wanted to do it right for her.

 

I couldn't turn my brain off last night, so got little sleep. Today I have been just sort of going through the motions. I felt, and feel, drained. Physically and emotionally.

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