Mom's
Last Laugh
By Robin Lee Shope
Consumed
by my loss, I didn't notice the hardness of the pew where I sat. I was at
the funeral of my dearest friend – my mother. She finally had lost her
long battle with cancer. The hurt was so intense; I found it hard to breathe
at times.
Always supportive, Mother clapped loudest at my school plays, held a box of
tissues while listening to my first heartbreak, comforted me when my father
died, encouraged me in college, and prayed for me my entire life.
When Mother's illness was diagnosed, my sister had a new baby and my brother
had recently married his childhood sweetheart, so it fell to me, the twenty-seven-year-old
middle child without entanglements, to take care of her. I counted it as an
honor.
"What now, Lord?" I asked, sitting in the church. My life stretched
out before me as an empty abyss.
My brother sat stoically with his face toward the cross while clutching his
wife's hand. My sister sat slumped against her husband's shoulder, his arms
around her as she cradled their child. All so deeply grieving, they didn't
seem to notice that I sat alone.
My place had been with our mother, preparing her meals, helping her walk,
taking her to the doctor, seeing to her medication, reading the Bible together.
Now she was with the Lord. My work was finished, and I was alone.
I heard a door open and slam shut at the back of the church. Quick footsteps
hurried along the carpeted floor. An exasperated young man looked around briefly
and then sat next to me. He folded his hands and placed them on his lap. His
eyes were brimming with tears. He began to sniffle.
"I'm sorry I'm late," he explained, though no explanation was necessary.
After several eulogies, he leaned over and commented, "Why do they keep
calling Mary by the name of 'Margaret'?"
"Because Margaret was her name. Never Mary. No one called her 'Mary',"
I whispered. I wondered why this person couldn't have sat on the other side
of the church. He kept interrupting my grieving with his tears and fidgeting.
Who was this stranger anyway?
"No, that isn't correct," he insisted, as several people glanced
over at us whispering. "Her name is Mary, Mary Peters."
"That isn't whose funeral this is."
"Isn't this the Lutheran church?"
"No, the Lutheran church is across the street."
"Oh."
"I believe you're at the wrong funeral, sir."
The solemn nature of the occasion mixed with the realization of the man's
mistake bubbled up inside me and erupted as laughter. I cupped my hands over
my face, hoping the noise would be interpreted as sobs.
The creaking pew gave me away. Sharp looks from other mourners only made the
situation seem more hilarious. I peeked at the bewildered, misguided man seated
beside me. He was laughing, too, as he glanced around; deciding it was too
late for an uneventful exit. I imagined Mother laughing.
At the final "Amen," we darted out a door and into the parking lot.
"I do believe we'll be the talk of the town," he smiled. He said
his name was Rick and since he had missed his aunt's funeral, he asked me
to join him for a cup of coffee.
That afternoon began a lifelong journey for me with this man, who attended
the wrong funeral, but was in the right place. A year after our meeting, we
were married at a country church where he was the assistant pastor. This time
we both arrived at the same church, right on time.
In my time of sorrow, God gave me laughter. In place of loneliness, God gave
me love. This past June we celebrated our twenty-second wedding anniversary.
Whenever anyone asks us how we met, Rick tells them, "Her mother and
my Aunt Mary introduced us, and it's truly a match made in heaven."
