Today was the Memorial Service for my father. It was absolutely beautiful. My sister had a wonderful picture of my Dad blown up and it was at the front of the church, flanked by the loveliest springtime flowers. The hymn my mother chose was perfect - "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee," sung to the tune of the Ode to Joy in Beethoven's 9th. Of course, I was unable to sing, as music frequently makes me weepy, even when I don't have anything to cry about. Even singing carols at Christmas makes me tear up, because it is so moving. The eulogy that my Dad's friend Peter wrote was spot on. If you walked into the chapel not knowing who my father was, you left with a very good idea. He's going to email it to me and I'm going to repost it here. My father would have loved the service. We all gathered at my sister's house after for a feast and catching up with family. It was wonderful to see my extended family again and we left with promises to get together for a happy occasion next time. I'm feeling very sad and at the same time very happy today. It was a bittersweet kind of day.