the best funeral ever

Hey guys, sorry I've fallen off the map. I've been in a funk. I'm not loving Montreal like I used to, I'm not loving library school and I'm having trouble finding steady work, which is not normal for me. I'm freelancing now, and making lots of money, but it's uncertain when it will end. So, I haven't felt like writing or sharing. Until now.

I've just got back from a 3-day funeral event in my home town. Tragically, Jeremy, my cousin's husband of just 6 weeks was killed in a car accident last week, along with his Uncle Steve. They were on the road, helping others when another car hit them. They were the kind of guys that everyone loved, that always gave a helping hand and were involved in many projects. They came from a huge, well-known family in the area. The love and support for the families of these two guys was so amazing that I've decided to tell you about it, because I am still in awe. It has never been so apparent to me that how you live your life can be reflected so honestly after your death. I'd love to write a big long piece but no one would read it -- we are all busy. So, I've made some points about it (and it's still really long!).

- Friday was the public visitation. The town they come from is only 2100 people, yet 800 people attended in the afternoon and 3000 attended in the evening. The lineup to see the family was 3 hours long, snaking around 3 rooms in the funeral home, out the door, across the lawn and down the country road. It didn't matter that it was zero degrees on a cloudless night.

- On the front lawn of the funeral home, they parked one of Jeremy's six 4-wheelers, and an old golf cart that they'd "borrowed" years before and fixed up with a new fast engine. Inside, the walls were set up with photos of the guys and their families, some of the projects they created (they were builders), their cowboys hats and their work boots. A TV was brought in to play video footage of the guys snowmobiling, dirt biking on sand dunes and in snowbanks, and of course, four-wheeling on the farm, in the bush, and in the swamp.

- The funeral on Saturday was in a church that seats 600. There was standing room only.

- They played "Shook me all night long", in honour of Jeremy. I can now say that I've heard ACDC in a church.

- They quoted country singer Tim McGraw's "Live like you're dying" as a representation of how they lived their lives.

- Due to the large number of people, there was a police blockade on the road during the funeral procession from the church to the tiny country cemetery down the road. The procession was led by Steve's high-ho (which is a big yellow digging machine, for those who don't know). The boys who stood next to Jeremy and Dianne at their wedding 6 weeks ago, became his pallbearers.

- Both men left behind widows who idolized their husbands. In 1985, Steve and his fiance Nancy managed to have a child in January, get married in the spring, and have another child in December. Two children in the same year, and they aren't twins! Jeremy was only 27 and just married, but my cousin is pregnant, which she sees as a blessing, as it's a piece of him that will live on.

There are so many more stories show how tight the community is, how much love everyone has for each other and how much these two guys loved life. It's infectious. As often happens when someone young dies, we are inspired to live our lives differently, seize each day and embrace life. At least for a little while.