Being his grandson put me in the front of the surprisingly large congregation. Many people my grandfather had helped, as a former police officer that was a heck of a lot of people. My mom was choked up, my father rubbing her back soothingly. Lukie sat beside Dan and she cried into his suit. He petted her hair and whispered comfortingly in her ear like a brother would. Joe and Charlie walked solemnly with a large casket in-between them. As the pastor rambled as only pastors can, I thought of the speech I was told to write about grandpa by grandma. I had thought hard, and poured my raw emotions and my sad, sad soul into it. I hoped it came out okay. "And so, ashes to ashes, dust to dust, let him rest in peace. But first, the people closest to him would like to say a few words. My father stood up. And walked to the podium. "My dad...oh god my dad, he was...something else." he said, choking up a bit. He straightened his tie, cleared his throat and continued. "Basically, my dad was the kind of person who would shovel the snow in your driveway for hours, just to see you smile. He was the kind of person who would help an old woman across the street, the person who would play with disabled children, train seeing-eye dogs, storm straight into a shoot up if there were captives. God, my dad was just so good, so helpful, so...so...amazing. Really, that's the only word I can think of. He was downright the most giving person. And I will miss him so much..." his voice cracked "...he will always be in my heart. As he liked to say 'when our time is here, we welcome death with open arms,for he is not evil, he simply takes those who's time here is finished and takes them to somewhere Beyond all of this that we call reality'" he slowly sat down and hugged my mother. Then it was my turn, at Grandma's request. I breathed deeply and slowly walked to the podium. "My grandfather, Herbert, or to his friends, Herbie Leo Johnson, was and always will be, the person who I could always talk to. The person who would never give up, the person who could see the good in even the foulest of people, one of those sweet old men that you could just look at and feel better,the person who would listen to the most ridiculous ideas, who wouldn't judge, a person who cared about everything and everyone. He loved all that were around them and sacrificed anything to keep them happy. Like when my uncle and my father were young, they really wanted these pairs of shoes, good shoes. My grandpa worked double shifts, took another job, and got about 4 hours of sleep, and worked to the bone. He then told his boys to go outside. What they saw was two brand new pairs of shoes, exactly like the one in the picture. Or like when his neighbor, Ms.Gamby, broke her leg and couldn't mow her lawn, fetch her mail, or take care of her beautiful flowers. But he did it. And never asked for anything in return. Just a few examples of what a kind person he was. He was just an all around amazing, kind person." I said "Thank you for your time"
I had to be a Paul bearer once, it's one of the most depressing things. You are basically carrying the lifeless body of one of the people you love the most.