Service in My Dad's Hometown

Yesterday we went to my dad's hometown for a memorial service that his mother and sister planned. It was BEAUTIFUL. There was a gathering in the Church Hall afterwards (thank you Kim for all your hard work w/ the food and set-up and clean-up and to everyone else who contributed as well). The Reverend spoke of my Dad as if he'd known him his whole life. We sang "How Great Thou Art" and "On Eagle's Wings" (my Dad loved both of those songs). My Dad's twin sister read a poem, from a book that belonged to her Uncle, that he had left for her.

God's Will for you and Me!

Just to be tender, just to be true,
Just to be glad the whole day through,
Just to be merciful, just to be mild,
Just to be trustful as a child,
Just to be gentle and kind and sweet,
Just to be helpful with willing feet
Just to be cheery when things go wrong,
Just to drive sadness away with song,
Whether the hour is dark or bright,
Just to be loyal to God and right,
Just to believe that God knows best,
Just in his promises ever to rest--
Just to let love be our daily key,
That is God's will for you and me.

~Anonymous

My sister got up and spoke and she did a beautiful job. I wish I had a copy of her words to post here. Perhaps I can get a copy next time I see her. I got up and read "I Wish you Enough"......you might remember it from an earlier post.........it was an e mail I found, that my Dad had sent me a few days before the stroke, that I hadn't read. In lieu of flowers, we asked for donations to go to the youth center, b/c it was so important to my Dad. That said, I wanted to share with you some words from the Deacon at the Church:

Kraig knew all of this. He knew how important scripture was and he read and lived it every day. he reached out to many people of our community of Holy Cross Church. He taught scripture to our children. The parents of an 8th grader told me that when their daughter was in Kraig's group in the 6th grade, his teaching of scripture changed her life. She is only one story of many. Kraig single-handedly ran a middle school youth group in our old youth center. He has laid the foundation for our new youth center, The Underground, that is almost completed. Kraig's legacy will always be there in the Center. (A NOTE: One of the entrance walls to The Underground will be a white wall, like a white board where the kids can write stuff to each other, and erase it later. We will name the wall The White Wall! The wall will include a dragonfly in honor of Kraig!).

If you don't know........my Dad's last name is White. Thus the "White Wall". How cool is that? It makes me so happy to see things happening in his honor and to see that this is part of his legacy! Also, my sister and I will be going through the RCIA program at the Church starting next week. I wish I had walked this walk w/ my father while he was here on Earth but I didn't. I know he will be proud. I intend to stay connected to the the Church, his home away from home, and in doing so......to stay close to him. I hope I can make a difference there someday, the way he did.