Child's Funeral

I have been unable to do any writing this month. My mind has been frozen. I was ill prepared for the effects of my daughter's passing.

My body woke up with the alarm this morning. It had the desire to continue sleeping but with Jennifer's funeral service today, I found the willpower to motivate these tired muscles.

Upon acquiring some sustenance, this week body found the vigor to make the half hour trek to the service.

Since I just got the van back from having the air conditioner worked on yesterday, I was leery as to the operating status of the system. With this disease, my fifty-year-old body must remain in a temperature controlled environment. If the core temperature in my body gets too high, then my muscles will not function. Which means if the air conditioner does not hold up to the day's heat, I will be stranded wherever I might be at that time.

The temperature outside was cool enough that there was no need to operate the air conditioner. However, it has been hitting one hundred degrees for the past few days so I knew the temperature would rise to that level before returning home, not to mention the weather app on my phone was calling for one hundred degrees today. With that in mind, I flipped on the air conditioner which did its job on this seventy seven degree morning, it wasn't long and these fingers decided to switch the knobs to the off position eliminating the frosty air from exiting the vents.

This was the first time I used this shop to repair my van's air conditioner and I had yet to test the system and ensure proper operation. But the hope was there that cold air would be blowing from these vents on the return trip.

I made it to the funeral service with thirty minutes to spare. Jennifer's friends and family made appearances and I was able to visit with people who I had not seen for thirty years. Julie, the host and Jennifer's sister, had laid out photographs for perusal. They were taken at various times in Jennifer's life and showed her bubbly personality.

I will say that I mourn for the loss of my daughter, knowing that the plans I had to get to know her on a personal level have been put on hold. Since Jennifer was a Christian, I know that I will see her in heaven when my body ceases to exist on this Earth, since I too am a Christian.

With the funeral services at a close, the church that Jennifer called home had put together a small meal for the family and friends of those who had come to pay their respects.

As the event was winding down and the fact that my body was telling me that I had better get home before it shuts down, I said my farewells to Julie and admired the flowers she had made available for people to collect as an added memento of this very special time.

The heat outside had risen to the high nineties but the temperature inside the van was one hundred ten degrees. Now is the moment of truth. I weaseled my way from the wheelchair through the seats and into the drivers seat and started the van. I flipped on the air conditioner and heard the engine pick up the added load, music to my ears. The air striking my face that was coming from the vents was a huge relief. The air conditioner was functioning properly.

A special thank you needs to be awarded to Julie for taking on this very special role and ensuring everything went smoothly.