Laughter after the Funeral?

Today was a whirlwind of emotion and to be completely honest, I'm glad that it's over.  My family is one of the absolute best out there.  Despite how large we are, there isn't the smallest ounce of drama amongst anyone.  In fact, every time we come together there are hours of laughter to be had.  Even though we had just spent hours grieving, by the time we got to the restaurant after it all, no one who might have walked in would have known that we had just come from the funeral of one so dear to us.  My cousins and my sister were talking about how just before the funeral, all the children, their spouses, and my grandfather gathered around my grandfather's coffin.  Everyone was worried how they might be just after but the next thing they heard was a roar of laughter.  Apparently, my grandmother's final words to him were, "You know, you're one good looking son of gun."

Sadly, I missed this due to a confusion of where we were supposed to meet.  Dave and I showed up at the church because that's where we thought we were supposed to be.   We waited there for over twenty minutes before going back to the funeral home.  By that time, we had missed everything.  The sheer frustration of it all caused me to completely lose it and as y family came upon me, I burst into tears.  We were told that the funeral mass was to begin at 10am and to be at the church by 9:30 and though I am habitually late, we were there.  Little did I know that everyone actually got together at the funeral home at 9:00am.  I was under the misguided belief that I was actually on time for once.  The realization of it, plus the emotions of the day just me to utterly break down into sobs once everyone gathered together at the church.

No one judged me and they all felt badly that I was so upset at not being given the final opportunity to say goodbye like everyone else.  I was able to compose myself and was able to stay composed until after I read my eulogy.  Reading it felt okay having practiced it for a bit last night.  The whole service was very emotional but extremely nice.  However, what stands out in my mind is my family.  I personally think that's what would've made him happiest.  He wouldn't want us to focus on the sadness but on the happiness of our luncheon.  The way my cousins' children danced to songs they memorized from the Wii, the jokes of my uncles, the conversations with my cousins, that's where he would have been had he been there.  That's what I will remember most from today.