Finally had dad's funeral last Friday (6th March).
The day before we were able to bring him home, the place he's lived at many years, where his hands has repaired, replaced, or improved every part of it in someway over those years, where - even in his wandering days after being upset that dementia had made him go outside in the cold with no way of getting back in - he called it 'his Buckingham Palace' and where he should have spent his last days.
It was also good for us, his family, to view him before the funeral to get out some of that deep upset and realisation then and to be able to pay last respects to him in private. It was a good night of remembering his better days and ways, and bringing the family closer and stronger for the next day.
There was me thinking 'well I've shed a load of tears on the day before, for the funeral I'll be better controlling my emotions'..... For the whole morning I was fine then the sight of the hearse turning up to taking him on his final journey was an instant trigger. Not only for me either. The whole drive there was so surreal despite seeing my dad's coffin ahead of me.
All that said though, the service was enlightening in a way. I had told Dad that my siblings and I would send him on his way that he would be proud of and I so believe he would be. And the day itself was perfect. For those of you who live in London/SE England, you will know the weather on the Thursday was so so grey, miserable and cold and rained the whole day whereas the weather on Friday was the complete opposite and I could feel the warmness of the sun. We joked that dad was up there in them clouds ordering that they better make his day as nice as possible for us or else ?? Thanks dad ?
The wake was a good recovery as well and in the sad event of dad's funeral came the positive experience leading some to re-think certain differences they had with other relatives who then came together in the end.
I'm flipping between feeling better now the funeral is over and then weeping at the loss and suspect this will go on for some time but at least I know that he has now been put to rest well since his passing and hopefully looking down at us also knowing that we inadvertently made that journey even easier with the care we provided to him beforehand.