Judy

Well, this past Monday at 11:45am DST, Judy Draper ceased to be.

The viewing is Wednesday from 2-4 and from 6-8pm. I'll be going to the early viewing, and will likely stay until 4:45. I will be meeting Ray afterward to go to Flint band practice.

The funeral will be Thursday, at the local Catholic Church where Judy lived for many years.

Friday, I leave for Kentucky.

I've been pretty out of it, sleeping a lot--mostly because I'm being overworked at the office and I can't seem to get my work done at all. I'm tired, now, and only staying up to watch my email come down.

Except for that, I'm fine.

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and now, it's Thursday.

I just got back from the funeral. Things went pretty smoothly, until they started to sing the songs from the hymnal that had to do with "going home" and that sort of thing--the reason being that I have this huge concern that but for not being able to forgive my ex for his horrible treatment of my son and me, I might not make it to heaven.

So that song made me cry. Not due to Judy, since I figure she's a shoe-in for a position at the heavenly palace. Me, I'll be lucky if I turn into a footstool there.

In any case, I remembered to take some Kleenex with me--figuring that I would cry, and by golly, I sure did. I sat in the back, too, since I arrived a minute or so late, due to traffic and the telephone at the office....but considering all the honking going on in the back row (me), I guess I was simply being appropriate for the occassion.

At the end, when Judy came past in her "new recliner" (sic) I started to tear up again with goodbyes that I couldn't even whisper. Then Randy walked by, saw that I had Kleenex, and pulled one out for his current wife, who had been crying even more than I had been. I thought to myself "hmm..." and then shrugged it off. I guess that was the whole reason for my being there.

But not one tear fell from the family during the whole thing.

I suppose they'll go home and do their crying. That's okay. I understand that.

Oh, and I found out that my ex's brother knew one of the drummer's in Flint Scottish--called him "FAST EDDIE". So Wednesday night, when I went to practice, I called out the window to the tenor music writer--"hey fast eddie", and he looked up to see me, and thought I was kidding! Then, when I told him I'd seen my ex's brother, and he'd asked me if it was "fast eddie" he admitted to knowing what I was talking about.

So I told Randy's brother that "fast eddie" said hi, and sends his condolences for the loss, and that Ray had also expressed sympathy, as well.

Then I left the funeral.

And now, must must concentrate on the competition, or be lost trying.

Later!