What everyone thinks, but no one says...

This morning was the party for the death of Jaye's father, Stanley Shelton (click his name and it will connect you to his obituary). Jaye is our administrative assistant at the church and a dear friend. Her family wanted it to be a celebration this morning and it was just that! It was a neat day, and from the little I knew of Mr. Shelton, he would have been pleased with the spirit of the day. We hosted the funeral at the church and I shared leadership with another Pastor in their family.

Something happened during the ceremony that really made me chuckle and I wanted to share it with you. It's what everyone thinks, but no one says...

If you have been to very many funerals, then you know what it is like to sit through them and think to yourself "are they burying the same person that I knew?" "Am I at the wrong funeral?" It seems that everyone is a saint when they die. Well, today during the funeral the family wanted me to facilitate a time for people in the congregation to come forward and share personal tributes about Mr. Shelton. That is ALWAYS risky, but sometimes it can be very meaningful. Well, it turned out pretty good this time. The last person to get up and share was Jaye's older brother, Jerome. He is the eldest and only son. When he stepped to the microphone he thanked everyone for their kind words and support and then he began to share the real deal. He bragged on his Dad and then said...

"I am not sure who you all were talking about today, but my father was a mean man. He beat me regularly. He was a liar. He told me he would win me the lottery and he never did. He was a con artist....he said a few other things and then he bragged on his Daddy some more. He really loved him!"

It struck me when he did this, because so often at funerals we sit there thinking things that no one ever says. After all, we are all born human, so my guess is that we probably die human too!