A Memorable Memorial

Two of my most memorable signs were when my Stepfather passed away. Here is one of them.

My mother was distraught and numb and could not believe that her husband had passed away so suddenly. He had just asked her for a glass of orange juice, got up to go to the restroom, then came back to bed and quickly passed away in her arms. The story is a bit longer and remarkable, but it is my mother's tale to tell.

The memorial was held in March, in Point Loma, on a rainy and cloudy day, making it even more difficult for mom to bear the day's event. We arranged a military ceremony at one of the gazebos overlooking the ocean. A simple event that also awarded my Stepfather a 21-gun salute and the presentation of the American flag to my mother.

As the Chaplain gave his sermon, he looked directly at mother and praised her husband of 34 years as a kind and devoted gentleman and military man who always put others before himself. As the Chaplain continued and mom silently cried, the sun briefly came out of the gray billowing clouds and the most beautiful full rainbow presented itself across the eastern sky as a glorious backdrop to this wonderful man’s memorial.

Unfortunately, mom was too upset to notice it, but a few relatives managed to get a fast shot of the rainbow, and then it quickly disappeared.

The timing could not have been more perfect!