This past week was one of those times you get hit with every now and then. I went from the fun of being on campus with my son, celebrating a "Dad's" weekend that my son insisted I attend also, to answering the phone and getting the news that my aunt had passed away. Well, just like they say, there is never a good time for a funeral

As we attended functions all weekend for the Dad's event, I tried to keep in touch with my sister and my cousin through text messages and voicemails. By the time we were heading back home on Sunday afternoon, I realized I would have very little time to regroup and head in a different direction.

Funerals are strange events because yes, they are hard emotionally, but they can also be filled with great joy. Of course this is mostly dependent upon the circumstances for the funeral itself. Someone who has lived a full and rich life deserves to have a service filled with laughter and stories, where as a true tragedy can bring a host of emotions that make it hard pressed to be joyous in any way.

Fortunately for us, my Aunt Peg had lived a long life, filled with the joy of being a wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, sibling, you name it, she had done it. This service would be a tribute to her by the amount of laughter that was shared. Several of my cousins related stories about their mom, each with their own point of view, from her artistic abilities to her willingness to hunt and fish.

When we all gathered later at my cousin Phyllis' home (yes, the same one who let us stay at their beach house) there were more stories and more laughter. And like everyone says, you hate the fact that when you get to a certain age, the only time you see everyone is at a funeral, but there seems no greater gift to an individual, or their family, than to embrace it and have a wonderful time.

I know that if I am blessed enough to live a long and fulfilling life, I would want nothing more than everyone to gather and party hardy when I did pass. A few toasts, lots of stories, and tears of laughter, not sorrow. What more could you want while dancing with the Lord, than to know that your family and friends were having the time of their lives...in your honor!