Royal Send Off

So Wifey and I left the house early and headed to Brickell to fetch D1, and then the three of us headed to West Boynton for the funeral of Paul's Mom, Lillian. Rabbi Yossi spoke, as did Paul and his lovely 18 year old niece, Giorgi. Poor Giorgi and her brother Grant also lost their paternal grandfather a week before -- talk about a rough time in a close family. We sat with Dr. Eric and my brother in law Dennis, who over the years became close to Paul and his family. My old dear friends Norma and Albert, from the salad days of my law firm, also made the long drive from Miami, to pay their respects. The Rabbi spoke poignantly, and offered a story he knew Lillian would endorse: An old lady on her death bed kept a bundle of twigs in her room. She asked her kids and grandkids to perform a strength test -- who among them could break the twigs in the bundle. They all tried and failed, and then the lady pulled each twig individually from the bundle, easily snapping it. She thus showed her family the sacred truth of life: alone, we're all weak and breakable. Together, as a family, nothing can tear us apart. From the chapel we flew through red lights, with police escort, to the cemetery. I recalled the comedian's take on that: when you're alive and rushing to any appointment, you get pulled over for running a red light. When you die, you HAVE to make good time... At the cemetery, the Rabbi said the brief prayers, and announced it would be a full burial. We each took turns putting soil onto the coffin. To many observers, who had never seen an orthodox funeral, it seemed weird, and even crass -- like we were saying "good riddance" to the deceased. I explained to some of them that, in contrast, it was one of the greatest blessings, or mitzvahs, to help with this solemn task. From there we went to Paul's sister and brother in law Geoff's house. They live in a gorgeous place on the intracoastal in East Ft. Lauderdale. The plan was for D1 and Wifey to sty for lunch, and then leave me for the evening service. I figured I'd find a ride back to Hialeah, and then hop Metrorail back to Kendall. Not so fast. The three of us ended up staying nearly 10 hours. The family was so warm and welcoming, and we played with Paul's adorable granddaughter, and spoke with Lillian's 4 grandkids, Ales, Tracy, Grand, and Giorgi. My friend Joel stopped by, and we shared a vodka or two and looked at the water. He and D1 spoke of their different eras at Palmetto High. Stuart and his dad Bill came by later, as did Dr. Barry. The scene was truly a royal sendoff, for both Lillian and Geoff's father Gilbert. As Paul said, both of them so loved to be at a party at the house, and their spirits still were. So brava, Lillian. What a life well lived. She was adored by her family and friends, and last night that became strikingly clear. And my family was privileged to be a part of it.