Who knew a memorial service could serve as a wonderful family reunion?
A few months ago we attended a memorial service for my Uncle Rich in Minier, Illinois. It was a sad occasion, but was a wonderful service. Minier is where my mom and her brothers grew up – and is where my grandparents and some of my uncles lived/still live. When I was a kid, we would go down there at least twice a year and I loved it – it was always fun visiting the farm and seeing family. It had been a long time since I visited (over 12 years) and so I was really looking forward to returning.
It was so great to see so much of the family again – it had been way too long. Jaimie and Taylor were able to meet cousins, uncles, aunts, and other relatives they had never met before and we had a wonderful time catching up and hanging out. It was a wonderful weekend because we were celebrating the life of an amazing man the way he would want us to – as a family.
For those that don't know, my mom's side of the family is very fun – and always keeps you on your toes. On Sunday, a few hours before the memorial service, we were having lunch with some of the family and one of my uncles announced that at the end of the service all of the brothers and nephews would be going to the back of the church to sing a song together. Nothing like late notice huh? Since I've come to expect the unexpected with this crew, I just rolled with it. Jaimie didn't really think he was serious, but I assured her he was. Sure enough, at the end of the service, we all got up and walked to the back of the church to sing "It is well with my soul." It was very powerful to say the least and I was so happy to be able to be a small part of that day. Jaimie took a short 20 second clip of us singing and I have loaded it below. Not bad for a group of guys that had zero prep huh?
It was so wonderful to be around family again – it's something I miss quite a bit. Uncle Rich was a wonderful person that left a lasting legacy through his wife, sons, relatives and friends. We miss him very much, but are thankful to have been blessed with such a wonderful example of what a man could be and how he could always care for others before himself.
A few months ago we attended a memorial service for my Uncle Rich in Minier, Illinois. It was a sad occasion, but was a wonderful service. Minier is where my mom and her brothers grew up – and is where my grandparents and some of my uncles lived/still live. When I was a kid, we would go down there at least twice a year and I loved it – it was always fun visiting the farm and seeing family. It had been a long time since I visited (over 12 years) and so I was really looking forward to returning.
It was so great to see so much of the family again – it had been way too long. Jaimie and Taylor were able to meet cousins, uncles, aunts, and other relatives they had never met before and we had a wonderful time catching up and hanging out. It was a wonderful weekend because we were celebrating the life of an amazing man the way he would want us to – as a family.
For those that don't know, my mom's side of the family is very fun – and always keeps you on your toes. On Sunday, a few hours before the memorial service, we were having lunch with some of the family and one of my uncles announced that at the end of the service all of the brothers and nephews would be going to the back of the church to sing a song together. Nothing like late notice huh? Since I've come to expect the unexpected with this crew, I just rolled with it. Jaimie didn't really think he was serious, but I assured her he was. Sure enough, at the end of the service, we all got up and walked to the back of the church to sing "It is well with my soul." It was very powerful to say the least and I was so happy to be able to be a small part of that day. Jaimie took a short 20 second clip of us singing and I have loaded it below. Not bad for a group of guys that had zero prep huh?
It was so wonderful to be around family again – it's something I miss quite a bit. Uncle Rich was a wonderful person that left a lasting legacy through his wife, sons, relatives and friends. We miss him very much, but are thankful to have been blessed with such a wonderful example of what a man could be and how he could always care for others before himself.
Us and Grandma
Cousin Todd speaking at the memorial
Cousin Chris speaking
Cousin Jeff playing his violin at the service
Church where the memorial service was held
Tay and I visiting our Schmidgall relatives that have went before us
Tay and Aunt Pat
Cousins causing trouble
Tay and her cousin Cassidy
All of the cousins (most of them anyway - we were missing a few)
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