Unimaginable

I attended the funeral of a 22-year old today.  She died of colorectal (colon) cancer.  She was diagnosed about a year ago, which was unthinkable.  Now she's gone, and those of us who are parents of young adults find what her family is going through to be unimaginable.

I have to say something about the Catholic church:  they know how to do funerals.  There is some comfort in the ceremony and the tradition of a Catholic funeral, which is full of meaning for those who understand and witness the rites.  Today I attended with a non-Catholic co-worker and she was asking questions.  I believe she appreciated it for its beauty and I remembered at my father's funeral I appreciated the ceremony. 

The priest was relatively young.  I had never attended one of his services, but I knew his family.  He somehow managed uplifting at a time most of us were in pain over the loss.  And it didn't even seem strange.  I have no idea how he did it, except that he also lost a sister to cancer at a young age, so he brought cred to the sermon.

The family was one we knew from church, from when our children attended grade school together, and later from my work (the mother and I both work at the university).  Sometimes, don't you wish you could find the right words of comfort?  All I could do was be there to honor their daughter. 

It made for a very exhausting and challenging day.  I wish them peace.