My Dad's Memorial Celebration:
My dad's memorial celebration was held this weekend. It was an immediate family event, so there were just twelve of us. They all stayed at the house because there was a couple of events going on in town that had all the hotel rooms booked. It was crowded, and some of the accommodations weren't ideal, but I'm glad it happened that way. It was wonderful having everyone to support one another during the entire weekend.
The actual memorial was Friday evening. It wasn't formal, just various family members sharing their thoughts and memories, and finishing with the Miller Lite toast (my dad's beer of choice). A lot of remembering went on all weekend, and I think it was good for us all to be together for more than just the scheduled time for the memorial. We laughed and we cried. Before my dad's death, we'd had this group to the house for semi-yearly family reunions, which were basically big parties--quite a few beer connoisseurs in the family, my dad included. So the party tradition had to continue for the memorial too. Beer and guitar playing. The group really got going, belting out the words to "Cover of the Rolling Stone". Dr. Hook didn't have anything on us. My dad would have loved it.
Back to the Move:
This morning, we'll turn all of our energies once again toward the move. Packing will begin in earnest, and we'll make preparations for the garage sale scheduled for weekend after next. Although I enjoy visiting garage sales, I'm really not a fan of having them. But how else do you get rid of all the miscellaneous crap you've gathered through the years? The moving truck is coming November 1st, and time really seems short now.