There’s Only Two Things You Can Count On in Life…

That statement is part of an advertisement for a local funeral home, and they end it with, "And we can’t help you with your taxes."

Unfortunately, I’ve been a visitor to too many funeral homes as of late.  On Monday afternoon, I got word that an uncle, one of my mom’s brothers, had died after a long battle with congestive heart failure. One of my clients asked, "You’ve got another funeral to attend?"  Yes, sad but true. This is the second close family funeral I’ve been to in the last month, the third in the last six months, and the seventh in the last 5 years.

My mom is one of 10 kids, and amazingly enough, all lived to adulthood, and several reached their mid-80s before dying.  I grew up around my mom’s family, and I used to say to my friends, "My parents don’t have any friends — everyone we know is a relative."  And, that applied to me as well, as I discovered that one of my best friends from high school was a 4th cousin..LOL

At 42, I’m starting to see my family die off in front of my eyes, and it’s an unsettling experience — definitely gets you in touch with your own mortality.  My mom, who’s one of the five remaining siblings, said on Monday, "Ok, now we’re 5 and 5 — it’s time for a big break."  Family reunions at funeral homes aren’t what they’re cracked up to be..:)

Just out of curiosity, I tried to total my family tree on my mom’s side.  The 10 siblings she had produced 29 grandchildren (I’m #26 of the 29), and they have produced 36 great-grandchildren, and they have produced 20 great-great grandchildren.  I’ve actually gotten a bit lost when it comes to my third cousins–I don’t know most of them very well, if at all.

My hope is that I go like my grandpa did.  He was up on his house fixing his roof three weeks before he died at age 88.

I’m headed to my Uncle Robert’s funeral in Louisiana to do the family thing..:)