| | -~-~-~--~-~-~-~-~-~- The Gabriel Trip ~-~-~-~--~-~-~-~-~-~
2 Corinthians 5:4, "For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life."
I know it's late... But I've had trouble writing out my experience at the funeral before now. Who knows if I'll do an adequate job even now? =/ I doubt it, so don't expect anything very eloquent. I'm forcing the words out. :wink:
I really wanted to go... Grace, Jon, Brett, Sarah and I had been with Renee throughout the whole weekend and we were committed to somehow being there for the funeral as well. In the end it worked out, and it was a miracle... The entire trip came together in less than a day; a vehicle, a driver, packing, housing, provisions for the trip, etc... One of the most extraordinary things was that Mrs. Haugen (who had just returned from a 4000 mile trip to California, New Mexico, and Colorado with her two younger sons) agreed to drive us down in her family's suburban. She is amazing. =)
I don't think I've ever had a more pleasant conversation on IM than when we told Renee we were coming...
It worked out last minute for Taryn Clark to accompany us and so, on Tuesday morning, Mrs. Haugen, my mom, Grace, Jon, Taryn, Sarah, Brett and I headed towards Sacramento. We started out by singing "Blessed Be Your Name" and praying... It was going to be a long drive with the car completely filled, but we knew it would be more than worth it.
To be brief: The time down was spent watching a movie on my laptop, playing Slug Bug constantly, listening to Les Miserables on CD, and writing stories and musings on Jon's flow pad.
We arrived at the Popes house that evening... We were hoping to go over to the Benavidez' that night, but it didn't work out. We went as far as to ask Mrs. Haugen if Jon or Grace could drive her car (in the dark in an unfamiliar area), but she wisely declined the suggestion. We were all very disappointed about that, but God knew best. We stayed up late that night singing and playing worship songs on the guitar...
We got up early the next morning so that we could be at the church an hour before the funeral started. We were able to help set up for it, and look at the montage of Gabriel set up in the foyer. By the time the Benavidez' arrived many people were already there. I can't list them all, there were so many. But notably, Emily Roe was there, for which I was very glad, and Bob had driven down from Oregon just as we had.
We all hugged Renee and Mike... And there weren't a lot of words spoken. Mrs. Benavidez came up to us and hugged us, and told us that she didn't think Renee would have lived through it if it weren't for us. That meant a lot... And I was so very happy. Thank God... To Him be the glory. None of us felt adequate, but one of the things that God made clear to me throughout the whole experience was His ability to use the weak, the inadequate, and the unprepared.
It took a while for the funeral to start... People kept coming and coming. The seats were all filled, and there were people standing in the back by the time it got underway.
I had never been to a funeral before... But I know this one was special. Mr. Benavidez' eulogy was one of the most beautifully done speeches I have ever had the privilege to witness. "Friends, it is a beautiful day." Those words are forever etched upon my mind.
Gabriel was an amazing and wonderful kid... The stories people told about different ways he had touched their lives deeply impacted me. I wish I could have actually met him... I will someday. =)
Emily Roe concluded the service with a performance of Beethoven's Romance... It was an emotionally brilliant performance. Music is a language, and Emily was absolutely eloquent. Jon particularly was very moved by the emotion in which she played... We talked about it afterwards on the way home. We had known that Emily was a technically brilliant violinist, having heard her play before, but the passion in which she played that day deeply imbedded itself into the hearts of her listeners. Her hands, though clearly not at full strength and ability, produced what I will always call a virtuoso performance. Thank you, Emily.
After the funeral people mingled for quite a while... Renee was holding her twins, Josiah and Malachi. Two of the most darling little babies I have ever seen. There are few things as comforting as a sleeping infant in your arms...
We made our way to the cemetery after that. That was the hardest part of the day. Words fail me... After the Benavidez family had left and the casket was lowered into the grave, Sarah, Brett, Grace, Taryn, Jon, Emily and I went and stood around it. My first thought was to whisper, "Goodbye, Gabriel..." But I stopped, and said instead, "See you soon..." The drive over to the reception was a relatively quiet one... All of us were lost in thought.
The reception was a very precious time... We taught Renee how to swing dance (along with Taryn, and Cody and Travis Herche), and afterwards all sat on the stairs and talked. Us poor Oregon people weren't used to the heat and couldn't bear to stay outside.
When it was time to leave, we couldn't go... We took pictures with Renee, and said goodbye about 5 times each. May God bless her...
That night we went to the house of our friends the Stewards for dinner... When we got back to the Pope's house, we all went out and laid on the trampoline and looked at the stars. While we were laying there, Cameron said something which stuck in my mind... He said:
"Wow... Just imagine... Just imagine, for a moment that, that one little star up there is our universe... And you zoom in on that and you have the Milky Way... And you zoom in after that and you have the Sun... And you zoom in from there and you have Earth... And then, [laughing] you zoom in again and you have a little piece of dust that is you. And God is looking down on you and saying, 'I want you, boy... I want you.' It just blows my mind!"
The next day... Another drive... And we were home. 3 days? It seemed longer than that... |
| | Posted 7/21/2004 7:32 PM - 1 view - 7 comments
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