At the funeral, the minister said that Thom hated "churchism". He's right, snug, pious, phony people grated on Thom's nerves! In honor of that, the minister removed his tie! As he spoke, pictures of Thom as a baby, a high school senior (wide lapels, open shirt, aviator glasses--way cool!), and at his wedding appeared on the screen behind him. Then, another picture appeared:
t The cat, who looks like he's having a blast, is Thom! Thom was committed to his family and to God. He enjoyed every minute of his life. He saw life as an adventure to be embraced.
Since he was a Marine, Thom received full military honors. When "Taps" was played, Pop saluted Thom's coffin, then broke down. I was heartbroken for him. He was embarrassed, of course. Soldiers don't show emotion. Ma held it together as she always does. I put two daisies on his coffin; one for me and one for Pop.
Thom was a neat guy. He was a wild child, just like Elliott. When he married Jenny, he settled down some. He was never keen on kids, but he adored his. He had a tremendous amount of patience with Donna and John. As John once said "My dad is a great man!"
We told lots of "Thom stories" last week. Russ and Dave talked about how Thom could sleep on the runner of the trailer when they were racing. Everyone else slept in the bed of the truck! I remembered when Thom decided to ride down the rain swollen creek behind our house. Ma met him at the back door and made him strip off the orange mud stained clothes and hosed him off! We talked about his little peddle car. He didn't use the pedals at first, he pushed along with his feet! The ends of his toes were raw all summer! Thom will be missed by everyone who knew him. But we will always have a funny Thom story to tell. And we will be sure to tell them to Donna and John as they grow up.
The adventure continues!
No comments:
Post a Comment