So sad to read about Gus when I got back. I actually have read all the way through Natter and Bitches, but couldn't tell you half of what I read. Happy belated to ita and probably others, and much ~ma to Fay and her sister, and to anyone else who needs.
Thanks to everyone for their kind thoughts and words about grandaddy. We had visitation on Tuesday. It's my least favorite part of any service. There was a state trooper honor gaurd who switched out every 30 minutes with the whole salute and everything. Dad took me down to the casket almost as soon as I got there. I grabbed some tissue on my way down, "just in case." Dad said I'd probably need it since he'd been crying for the last hour, that's when I told my dad the gruff football coach, "Yeah, well I'm tougher than you."
People told stories, about how grandaddy taught us right from wrong, how though there were 7 kids and only an field laborer or trooper's salary, no one ever felt like they wanted for anything, about how he loved a practical joke, about his time as a trooper, about teaching us to fish and getting hooked by more than a few grand and great grandkids.
Mimi was difficult to watch. She'd call out his name and want us to help her stand so she could rest her hand on his chest. When it was time to leave she asked my cousin and I to help her straighten his suit and smooth his tie. As she was being led away by my uncle, who is a retired officer now working for the sherriffs dept. she asked to go by the trooper standing gaurd so she could thank him. Uncle Don told her she couldn't because you're not supposed to talk to them. As she was wheeled by she shouted, "Well thank you anyway!"
The service Wednesday was short. Most of the bible passages didn't really speak to me, but for most of my family, I think it was comforting. My mother, divorced from my father for over 20 years was there. It almost felt like grandaddy was telling the preacher what to say, like he noticed mom and told the preacher to remind us that he always said even if you split up with a Morgan, he would "keep" you. We were reminded to live generously, following grandaddy's example of giving all the family's Christmas presents to a local needy family and getting a local retailer to donate presents for a small amount of money. He and Mimi were in love for 68 years. They held hands every night before bed. I can see so much of who each and every one of us are in those stories.
I was doing fairly well until as we passed by the casket, my cousin and I who'd spent so many summers, holidays, weekends- told me, "Ask him to come back. He'd do it for you."
Following the service we went down to the lake where there's a hilltop church with a small graveyard on the road that leads down to "Morgan's Mountain." We were escorted by officers from 3 Parishes. Each time they would switch jurisdictions, the officers would get out of their cars and salute grandad.
Mimi wanted the grandkids to put our hands on the casket while they said the final prayer. We each took a rose from on top of the casket, kissed my grandmother and then walked across to the church for supper.
Mr. Jane and I made it home just in time for the opening kickoff of the LSU-Notre Dame game. Our Tigers pulled one out for grandaddy. A cousin missed the funeral to get back to NO in time for the game, she was interviewed by a local station and got to tell about grandaddy.
Sorry to go on and on, but I put a great man in the ground Wednesday, and wanted to tell y'all about it.