finding joy during sad times

My parents and I have just returned from an all day trip to bury my aunt. Flossie died Thursday afternoon and the funeral was this afternoon in Carolina. It's funny how sad occasions like that can be an opportunity for relatives to reconnect. Uncle Bill was very distant during the entire proceedings, but that's understandable given the circumstances. I always think of my mother talking about her daddy's funeral when she was 19. Everyone at the wake was hugging and talking and my mother couldn't understand how they could all be so happy - didn't they know her daddy just died? But now we were the ones at the funeral and reception talking and hugging and reconnecting and I'm sure Bill was in another place.

Daddy always says that if Mom dies first, they may as well dig two holes at once because he won't be far behind her. They say that when you marry someone, you shouldn't choose someone you can live with but someone you can't live without. I know that's true for my parents, but I also hope for Bill's sake that he can hang on after Flossie's passing.