Rest In Peace President Ford

I watched the services for President Ford and today the burial. It was so neat today to see Mrs. Ford, who started in a wheel chair, get up and follow the casket all the way to the burial site. I also thought it was great that the Vice President was the one to present the flag to her. I can not imagine anything happening to Paul now, but I really can't imagine being married to someone for 58 (I think is what they said) years and then having to say goodbye to them. I guess this is why Paul and I have always said we would have to die together!

It was also very hard to watch. I guess this is the first military funeral I have seen since Paul's Dad died. I was doing good until I watched them fold the flag. Memories of Ron's funeral came flooding back. When the flag was presented to Mrs. Ford, I could vividly remember the flag that draped his father's casket being presented to him.

That was such a hard funeral - not just because it was my husbands father and my father-in-law, but it was also the first funeral Caleb had gone too and the first death he REALLY understood (as much as a 5 year old could). I remember at the funeral home, looking in to the chapel with the casket, and seeing Caleb - by himself - kneeling at the casket. I went in and talked to him with Lindsay. He had SO many questions. It was such an innocent picture to see such a small child kneeling at such a large casket.

I was so proud of him. We let him choose whether he wanted to go to the funeral, and he wanted too. The burial ceremony was on a different day, different location. As we were taking care of the many floral arrangements that had been sent, Caleb asked if he could save a sunflower (Pepa's had told Caleb that was his favorite flower) to put on his casket when he was buried. There was a portion of the burial ceremony where they said that Ron's eldest grandson would like to place a flower on his casket. I loved that they made it a part of the ceremony.

Caleb still loves seeing sunflowers and it is still is favorite flower. Every time he sees one he wants it because it reminds him of his Pepa. I am so glad that he chose to go to the funeral, and that he got to say goodbye to him. It is still hard on him at times, and he still remembers, but he got some closure by going.

I will never forget the one sunflower sitting on the top of that casket!