As I See It - 01.04.16 - See you later

Saying goodbye seems so final. See you later means you'll see the person at another point in time. And such was the case on Monday, when family and friends gathered at St. Andrew Catholic Church in Ft. Worth for the funeral Mass for Ralph Guereca, Jr. Uncle Ralph is one of my mother's siblings.

The previous evening, family and friends gathered at Mt. Olivet Funeral Home for a rosary and wake. It was in the same room as my dad's rosary.

It had been a long time since I'd been in St. Andrew's. I think the last time I was there was for a wedding. It made think how a church can be a gathering place for good times and bad. It is also the church where my high school junior class had Mass on Ring Day. #memories

Following the Mass, we proceeded to Mt. Olivet Cemetery when many friends and relatives are buried. It brought back memories from my dad's funeral in November 2011. And like my dad, Uncle Ralph was a military veteran. Along with this comes the honor of having a flag draped on the coffin and presented to the family. It's very moving. When the flag was presented, the presenter, on one knee said, "On behalf of the President of the United States and the people of a grateful nation, may I present this flag as a token of appreciation for the honorable and faithful service your loved one rendered this nation."

Following the internment, we took my mom back to the house. I loaded up The Cal Mobile, got The Calvinator and we were on our way back to H-town with a stop in West.