A Funeral and a Wedding

One week. A funeral and a wedding. Two different states. One long road trip and lots of family time.

In my previous posts, I wrote about my grief surrounding my grandpa's funeral. Today, when I was talking with friends, they asked me about my week, and I told them we had gone to Idaho. They responded, "That sounds fun." At first, I nodded, and then I said, "It actually really wasn't a fun trip." I told them I had gone to a funeral and that it brought a lot of hard emotions.

But at the end of the week, we went to my cousin's wedding. It felt rushed, trying to get there on time after just coming back from a funeral. Once we arrived, though, I felt the strange juxtaposition of the two events. This was a different part of the life cycle. My cousin was beginning a new chapter as a husband. The newness of their marriage helped bring a note of hope to the week.

Earlier in the week, I cried multiple times while visiting my grandpa's house, attending the viewing, watching his casket close, sitting through his funeral, and leaving his house for the last time. But at my cousin's wedding, I watched his new bride cry at the altar. It was so sweet. She cried again during the reception while her mom gave a speech. Watching her tears helped me see the beauty of the life cycle.

The beginnings and endings we experience make life bittersweet and full of purpose.

My grandpa's funeral marked the end of his time on earth and the beginning of a reunion with his wife and other loved ones who had passed on before him.

My cousin's wedding marked the end of one season of life and the beginning of a union.

In a single week, I witnessed both an ending and a beginning. It reminded me that life is full of both. We grieve what we lose, celebrate what is new, and somehow find purpose in the space between.