Donald Remembered

I was the first to arrive at St. Bernard Catholic Church at 12:30 p.m. for the 1:00 p.m. mass.  I was so happy to spend that time alone with Donald, with no one to interrupt my thoughts.  Happy that I had one last visit with him when his spirits were high.  Happy for the many times we shared together.  Happy that I had such a wonderful brother.

Seeing his crematory vessel brought the stark reality about why I was here.

Soon Donald's son Eric arrived, followed by Donald's wife Masako. Also present were Donald's daughter Myleen and her husband Michael and their son Kenji; Rachel, her husband Troy, their son Koji and daughter Kai; Donald's daughter Naomi; and my son Claude.

Rachel arranged a bouquet from her garden.  There was a photograph of Donald performing tea ceremony, plus a folded American flag for Donald's service in the army during the Korean war.

After the mass Troy, as a representative of the armed forces, presented the flag to Masako.

Afterward we gathered at the funeral home which was almost adjacent to the church for a light lunch.  It was a time for us to catch up on what has been happening in our lives and share the many happy memories that we had from past years.