We got back from North Carolina last night. It feels like we were gone for days but it was only 26 hours. Man.
We got into NC late Tuesday night. We stayed in Roanoke Rapids, NC which is about 20 or so miles over the border from Virginia. It's a pretty small town with not much there. Surprisingly, the hotel we stayed at was pretty nice. Our expectations weren't very high, but this hotel was brand new and nice.
Anyway, Wednesday we got up and had breakfast. We then had to find a store because John forgot clean underwear. He had this beautiful new suit but no clean unders. Well, he could have gone commando, but I guess that's inappropriate for a funeral. We found a Wal Mart of all places and all was well.
The funeral was just going to be a service at the grave site. It was in Weldon, which is the next town over from where we were staying. It's the town Archie's mom and dad were from. Archie will be buried next to his dad.
At the service, John saw tons of friends he hadn't seen in years. He saw people from his old home town that he hadn't seen since he was a young kid. The minister that conducted the service was great. After the minister, Glenn spoke. He was great. He had one comment that really rung true for me: someone isn't truly gone as long as you have the memories and thoughts about that person. We all have Archie stores. You couldn't know Archie without having a story. So, the big guy is always going to be with us.
After the service, we went to Archie's mom's house. This is the same house that Archie grew up in, and it's just around the corner from the house John grew up in. It was great to see old photos of Archie and hear all those guys that knew him so well tell the stories that weren't really appropriate for the funeral. It was great to see how happy John was to be with his friends, remembering Archie.
You know, as far as funerals go, this was actually a nice time. It wasn't about mourning and grieving, but truly celebrating Archie. Don't get me wrong, there were tears and sadness. Archie's mom and sisters are just distraught. But spending time with John's friends and Archie's family, talking about how great he is, and how crazy life is, was a good way of saying goodbye.
We're back home now. It was wonderful to kiss and hug Keller this morning. He had a great time with my dad. But now it's back to the real world.
Showing posts with label Glenn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Glenn. Show all posts
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Beautiful Boy
Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans...
This past weekend we went down to Williamsburg to see John's family. John also had a triathlon in Yorktown, which is a nearby town. We went down Saturday morning and got there around 3 or so.
They just moved into a new house that's on the James River (sort of). It's on an inlet that is off the river. Anyway, it's a really great house with lots of space and being on the water is a lot of fun. We didn't have time this weekend, but we can kayak out to the river and hang out. Lola went swimming a million times. She was in the water pretty much the whole time we were there. She's still recovering.
John's race was Sunday morning. It was a sprint triathlon and he really kicked its ass. He finished 83rd out of almost 400 men. He did so well, I am so proud of him. It was a hot, sweltering morning and I was soaked just running after Keller while the race was going on. I couldn't imagine having to race in that kind of weather. But John really enjoyed the race and will do it again next year.
After the race, we went back to the house, ate breakfast, cleaned up and got on the road. Keller slept the entire way home. We made really good time and were home in 2.5 hours, I think. Before we got home, I checked messages. There was a message from John's good friend from North Carolina, Glenn. He needed John to call him right away.
As we were coming in the door, Glenn called again. John took the call. And got the news: Archie died. Archie was John's best friend growing up. He's known him since he was 5. He's the brother he never had and he was the Best Man in our wedding. He was a big teddy bear of a guy. The kindest person you could meet. And now he's gone.
We still don't know what happened. He was at the beach with friends and he was found dead early Sunday morning. We're heading down to NC tonight for the services tomorrow. Hopefully we'll know more once we're there and able to speak to people face-to-face.
You know, when my grandmother died, while it wasn't entirely expected, it was to a certain degree because she was 89 years old. People that age die. But Archie was our age, a friend and friends aren't supposed to die.
John spoke with one of Archie's sisters and his mom last night. Ugh. They are torn up. It was a rough conversation for me to hear, I couldn't imagine how it was for John. He's pretty torn up too. How do you say goodbye to someone that played such a role in your life? The times he had with Archie are the ones that shaped his life. And what times they were!
So, think of Archie today. He was a smart, funny guy with a heart of gold. Think of the family and friends he left behind. They will miss him.
Take care, Big Boy.
This past weekend we went down to Williamsburg to see John's family. John also had a triathlon in Yorktown, which is a nearby town. We went down Saturday morning and got there around 3 or so.
They just moved into a new house that's on the James River (sort of). It's on an inlet that is off the river. Anyway, it's a really great house with lots of space and being on the water is a lot of fun. We didn't have time this weekend, but we can kayak out to the river and hang out. Lola went swimming a million times. She was in the water pretty much the whole time we were there. She's still recovering.
John's race was Sunday morning. It was a sprint triathlon and he really kicked its ass. He finished 83rd out of almost 400 men. He did so well, I am so proud of him. It was a hot, sweltering morning and I was soaked just running after Keller while the race was going on. I couldn't imagine having to race in that kind of weather. But John really enjoyed the race and will do it again next year.
After the race, we went back to the house, ate breakfast, cleaned up and got on the road. Keller slept the entire way home. We made really good time and were home in 2.5 hours, I think. Before we got home, I checked messages. There was a message from John's good friend from North Carolina, Glenn. He needed John to call him right away.
As we were coming in the door, Glenn called again. John took the call. And got the news: Archie died. Archie was John's best friend growing up. He's known him since he was 5. He's the brother he never had and he was the Best Man in our wedding. He was a big teddy bear of a guy. The kindest person you could meet. And now he's gone.
We still don't know what happened. He was at the beach with friends and he was found dead early Sunday morning. We're heading down to NC tonight for the services tomorrow. Hopefully we'll know more once we're there and able to speak to people face-to-face.
You know, when my grandmother died, while it wasn't entirely expected, it was to a certain degree because she was 89 years old. People that age die. But Archie was our age, a friend and friends aren't supposed to die.
John spoke with one of Archie's sisters and his mom last night. Ugh. They are torn up. It was a rough conversation for me to hear, I couldn't imagine how it was for John. He's pretty torn up too. How do you say goodbye to someone that played such a role in your life? The times he had with Archie are the ones that shaped his life. And what times they were!
So, think of Archie today. He was a smart, funny guy with a heart of gold. Think of the family and friends he left behind. They will miss him.
Take care, Big Boy.
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