I am not a big fan of jello. If I have to have jello, I would definitely not choose red jello with bananas. And putting whipped cream on it is just a waste, if you ask me. I would go with the strawberries, pretzels and cream cheese recipe. It has so much stuff in it that you forget it is jello. Perfect!
Many of you know why I am writing about red jello with bananas and whipped cream (the rest of you think that I have finally lost it!). While it may be true that I have "lost it", there is a point to this blog entry. Dad liked red jello with bananas and whipped cream and considered it a part of the mandatory menu for "funeral food". (I may be bringing a sack lunch because I don't like much on his list.)
Yesterday, we were discussing and planning the service that we want to have for Dad. Our hearts are to honor Dad and his decisions. We want this to be about him and his life and his preferences. There have been other decisions that Dad has made that I didn't agree with (most of them having to do with my behavior as a teenager!), but this is not about me. Unfortunately! ; )
I was thinking about all of this while I was trying to sleep last night. I realized that there have also been many decisions that I have made that Dad didn't agree with (I know, hard to believe). About 10 years ago, Don and I started building our house. We told Dad that we were going to build a concrete house. His response, "I like wood, it is more forgiving." If you know Dad at all, you know that there is really no convincing him when he is sure of something. So we just started building. My dad honored our decision, even though he disagreed, and came alongside of us. He spent many, many weeks with us, drove 2 hours each way and did whatever we asked him to do. When it was finished, he was the first to tell people that it was a concrete house!
Dad was just that way especially when it came to the people that he loved. His greatest pleasure came when all of us were gathered together. He didn't really care about Christmas presents as long as we were all at his house for Christmas (that brings to mind another decision we made that he didn't agree with - the first year we spent Christmas in Guatemala - oy vey!)
It wasn't just the 12 of us that he enjoyed having around him. Every couple of years, the Kooiman side of the family organizes a reunion. It was very important that we always attended this gathering. He wanted all of us to spend time with his brothers and sisters and their families. Vacations, when I was little, were spent with his extended family. He valued all of these relationships and made them a priority.
If we widen the circle a little bit more, we get to his friends. Wow, we had no idea how many lives he had touched until the cards starting pouring into the hospital. His Bible study guys, his coffee drinking buddies, the people he delivered mail to, the neighbors - past and present, etc. etc. etc.
Well, friends and family of Dad, we would like to gather one more time. Please join us as we honor and remember Dad on Wednesday, May 9th at 10 am. We will be gathering at the Elk Point United Parish church in Elk Point, SD. There will be a lunch following and yes, . . . we will be serving red jello with bananas and whipped cream!
"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching." Hebrews 10:23-25.
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