Y'all, we sat there for an hour & a half today (just at the funeral home - I didn't go to the cemetery so who knows who long they were there) being PREACHED AT. The guy basically read Melissa's obituary word for word and then started preaching about how we all need to get right with Jesus so we can have salvation. FOR AN HOUR AND A HALF.

AAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!! T and Meg were watchign the littles so they used them as an excuse to escape back to the "family room" and I started coughing shortley thereafter and escaped with them.

OMG!!!

For John, we had 4 short speakers at the "Celebration of Life." His sister showed up & informed the funeral director that she was speaking whether we liked it or not. It wasn't worth fighting so we let her have her say. Then, his 2nd level boss talked for a bit & she's an amazing speaker AND had been his good friend for many many years. Then the Pres out at the club said a few words. And then my nephew brought the house down, telling about how his aunt brought this "gee-normous Northerner" home who turned out to be more redneck than any of my mountain relatives. Then at the cemetery, another good friend of his said a few word and my best friend offered a prayer. Y'all, we cried. And we laughed. And we cried. It truly was a celebration. We even had some of his favorite music (inc a lot of rock) playing at the funeral home and carried his casket out to "Knocking on Heaven's Door"....

Traditional? Nope. Not at all. But it was so much easier on everyone than the ordeal we sat thru this morning....