Burial

On Saturday we laid my sweet Uncle Bubba to rest. He was cremated and sealed in an urn until the time came to put him in the ground. After an intimate service full of good memories that made us laugh and cry, we all drove out to the cemetery for the graveside. 

There was quiet conversation as we congregated around a square hole in the ground waiting for the burial. The wind was cool and the sun was tucked politely behind an overcast sky. It was perfect. 

The metal box that would encase the urn was delivered to the plot, and shortly after, the urn was placed carefully into the box. A hush fell over everyone as my cousin Billy placed the lid over Bubba’s ashes and tightened it down with screws. He struggled with the precarious task of placing the box into the deep hole, but he was gracious and diligent, and managed to place it gently on the ground at the bottom of the hole. 

My Uncle Jeff was holding a shovel and moved toward a mound of loose dirt when a sweet little voice called out, “Wait!” Five-year-old Layla ran out of the crowd and dropped a sheet of paper into the hole. It was a picture she had drawn of her and Bubba. Her name framed the drawing across the top and bottom. As she turned and walked back to her mama, tears ran in streams down my face. Uncle Jeff threw the first shovelful of dirt into the hole, and no one moved. We were fixed in time as dirt piled on dirt until the hole was filled. 

I’m still in awe of all of it. The courage Billy must have needed to be the one to close the urn inside the box and lower it into the ground, floored me. The weight of the responsibility Uncle Jeff must have felt to be the one to move the dirt to bury our sweet Bubba, I can’t even imagine. The connection I felt to everyone in that moment was powerful. It felt so important to be together for everything that was happening. I’m still overcome with emotion when I think about it.

Death was meant to be the final blow to humanity, by the enemy of our souls. But thanks be to God, Jesus conquered death. Because of the fallen world, we still feel the effects of death and it is painful. But in the wake of our sadness, there was a reuniting of hearts in our family. For that, I’m incredibly grateful. I’ll cherish the memory of this day all of my life. 

“...our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”

‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭1:10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

https://www.bible.com/bible/111/2ti.1.10.niv