When You Stand at Your Wife’s Funeral

I found something I wrote to share at my sister-in-law’s funeral to encourage my brother-in-law. Lee died a year or so before, so I had standing to say what I said to encourage Donovan and honor Mary. I don’t want to lose it because I really like what I wrote. Here it is:

When you stand at your wife’s funeral, you receive the validation of what you always knew but never felt free to share publicly: among men, you were blessed. You were blessed with the knowledge in your heart that God had brought an amazing woman into your life; one with whom you shared your most intimate moments, your joys, your sorrows. A woman you saw God work through in the lives of others. A woman you saw God use in your own life, shaping you into who you are today. A woman whose impact will never be forgotten by you, your children, and the others who are there with you at the memorial, acknowledging what you have always known but never felt free to share publicly to avoid boasting. And yet, you stand here not needing to boast because the world can see what you knew. Strangely, I believe the others can echo your thoughts as they say to themselves, “I was blessed by her.”