<USS Avalon> OOC: It is over, yet it is not...

As a few know, the funeral was yesterday at 1pm, with graveside following. As for the grieving process? If I waited until that was done with to return, it would be a long time indeed, as this was my /father/ we're talking of.
Sandy, disagreements between friends sometimes cause rifts, yes, but I really don't want to allow that disagreement, however hurtful it was to me at the time, to do so. I apologize if it /has/ caused one, in fact.
The Patriot Riders came out in force! LOL I think there were eighteen Harleys(!) and their support truck. (six in front of the hearse, the rest behind the family's vehicles, so it will have to wait until I see the video of the procession before I know the true count.) I think there were 22 in the color guard. It was such an honor (and relief!) to be escorted to the cemetery by that group. (Let's face it, messin' with a group of bikers who look like they're ready to rumble would be a bad idea!) More than once, we mentioned to one another that Dad was probably laughing, as this event is likely to have the town buzzing for years to come. He had a grin on his face that the mortician insisted he didn't put there. In his words, "That's all him."
The Patriot Riders have been featured in the news more than once for preventing disruption of full-honors funerals, which my Dad's was not, although it was indeed a funeral of a veteran. (We just had the flag-draped casket and flag presentation, basically.) There was no trouble this time at all, though we were braced for some sort of protest to happen. We thanked the men and women of the group for doing this, for we had not expected it at all; one of my uncles has a son (my aunt's step-son) who is involved in it. He arranged the Patriot Riders to escort my Dad to his final rest, and they did a wonderful job. I expect my mother will write a formal thank-you card to the group, though. That's the proper thing to do and she's always into etiquette. I've a few of those to do, too.
Right now, my biggest priority is to rest my spirit, mind and body; sleep has been hard to come by this week, and stress has kicked me around pretty hard. 
--
Raymond Danner III
(Who is trying to properly lower his stress levels)

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