The Service

The funeral of an elderly family friend was to be held in a small town in Alabama, close to the Georgia line. It provided an opportunity for me to take my 3 young children for a short drive and, after the service, have an unexpected visit with my parents on a lovely summer day. As I dressed the children in their Sunday best, I tried to impress upon them the importance of being on their best behavior during the service. I promised them a trip to McDonald's and a visit with Granny and Papa afterward. Oddly enough, my son did not complain at all about wearing "church clothes" on a regular day. While this was unusual, I was so happy that he was willing and eager to dress up and ride in the car, that I didn't question it. The children were amazingly cooperative and quiet on the 45-minute ride. All the way, I talked about my expectations for their behavior during the service, that they should sit quietly and listen, and even though there would be things they'd never seen and didn't understand, there was no reason to be afraid. I didn't realize that I hadn't been quite specific enough about what their expectations might be until we got out of the car. As I straightened Nathan's shirt and reminded him to be on his best behavior, he looked around eagerly and said, "Okay, mom, but where's the circus??"