I attended my first funeral service for 2010 this afternoon.  A young 42 year old man passed away rather suddenly after a brief illness.  He was a volunteer firefighter in Granbury, so that was my basis of association with him.  I have served with his wife on several community related projects.  You would think a veteran minister would become accustomed to attending and officiating at funerals.  But they are never routine.  I hope that never happens.  When I reach the point that it is all just in a day’s work, I had better do something else professionally.   I did find myself being caught off guard this afternoon.   The man’s wife wife calmly walked down the aisle of the church with her two little girls on either side of her.  My heart instantly ached for all three of them.  I found myself just frozen for a moment. 

As I looked across the large group that had gathered for the service, I saw quite an array of people.  There was a good contingency of volunteer firefighters from most, if not all of the departments in our county.  There were friends and co-workers.  The girls’ teachers from school took off work to support the family.   When I got my wits about me once again, I only had one thought.

We live in a community that continues to grow, but at least we still have a small town feel in Granbury. I am grateful for the small town values that all of us enjoy.  So…it occurred to me that our responsbililty to this young man’s widow and his two daughters extends way beyond just being supportive during this critical days.
We have a duty to continue to reach out to all three of them.  They are a part of our community.  Taking care of people when they are down is the very essence of community.

I scanned the crowd in the parking lot as we circled up to observe some of the traditions associated with a firefighter’s funeral service.  I took note of the fact that I knew well over half  of the attendees. They are my friends.  I was immediately thankful for living in a caring community.  Granbury is a great place. There are a lot of fine people here.  The vast majority have moved here from other places.  Most Hood County residents do not have deep roots here that extend back for generations. But we are slowly forming a sense of community among ourselves.  I was reminded of the blessing of community today as I gathered with friends to comfort one of our own.