I'm "blogging" this on paper on our way to Basel for Omi's (Mina Zoller) funeral. We're all in the car, it's 08.12 and we're late! The funeral starts at 10.00.......will we make it on time? We're listening to the traffic news on the radio.......a part of our journey has traffic jams....great! We hope it will have dissolved by the time we get there.....AND it's snowing - can you believe it? It's APRIL for crying out loud!
Melissa is sleeping, Jordan and Daniel are playing with their Nintendos - Mario Kart and Yoshi's Island, Aaron is looking through the games wallett trying to decide what game he would like to play....."Daniel, can I play with your DS?" he asks. Daniel surprisingly hands it over!
The atmosphere in the car has calmed down - thank goodness - it was really tense and negative. We are always late and tempers rise and feelings get hurt.
I'm tired......I didn't sleep well due to my arm. I was in a lot of a pain yesterday, so much so that I had to take some pain meds. I had my MRI and now have to wait until the 13th to see the doctor again (he's on easter holiday). I had an appointment to see him today but had to cancel because of the funeral.......
We're just passing Winterthur......I wonder if Michèle (The hubster's older sister) is on the road yet? What's that? We've just passed a Smart car - it's gold and has bunny ears coming out of the roof......oh, it's a company car for Lindt chocolates.....
The hubster is listening to classic radio....."is that Korsikov?"......"no, it's Grieg, defintely Grieg!" He's right.....as always ;)
We're getting closer to Zürich and the traffic is getting heavier. All three lanes are nose-to-tail...... it's 08.50....
09.35.....driving past Liestal, Basel-Land....it's warmer here - no rain or snow, the roads are dry. I even see a patch of blue sky opening up above Basel. Will it stay dry for us? We hope so!
Just passed by our old motorway exit - Delémont - which would have take us "home" to Münchenstein.....
Ten minutes later we arrive at Hörnli Cemetry. We made it on time - yeah!
Is that Grandpa we see?
There is already a group of "mourners" assembled. The hubster's parents, his older sister Michèle, younger sister Karen with her husband Günther and two of their four children, Jared and Jerusha. And a lot of people that I don't know. The introductions start......cousins and great-cousins etc.
Jerusha, Karen, Günther, Daniel, Aaron, Jordan and Jared
The service is held in the chapel at the cemetry and is led by the methodist pastor Mrs Barbara Schär. Mina had belonged to the Methodist congregation in Basel since 1958. Karen reads the life story of Mina and then the pastor gives her sermon. Considering we don't share the same faith, I am pleasantly surprised at her positive teaching. You feel that she knows her Saviour and has a relationship to God. She mentions "the Lord is my shepherd" many times and it was apparantly a favourte of Omi's. I did hope for the words "resurrection" especially as it's Easter but alas I was disappointed in that point.
Karen reading Mina's life story
I sit and wonder about that. Here we are burying our Grandmother and we have the glorious knowledge that we will see her again. The sting of death is swallowed up in the resurrection. We're not sad, not really. She was 99 years old, she'd lived a good long life and now she had been called home by her maker. I'm happy for her that she can be with her Willi and Margrit.....
Cousins - Maya-Claire (The hubster's mum) and Hans-Peter (Hubster's Godfather)
René (The hubster's dad) with some of his grand-kids
We accompany the coffin to the plot and Mina Karolina Ludwig Zoller is laid to rest. We all say the Lord's prayer and René blesses the grave.
We then make our way back to our cars to go to the restaurant. Twenty-two of us are to have lunch together. The hubster sits next to his god-father and it's lovely to see them laughing together. Now I know where he gets his wide face from: it's from the Zoller side, from his grand-dad......
Time flies and it's 2.30 pm and it's time to make our goodbyes. We gave Omi a good send-off :)
Thanks René and Maya-Claire for the invite to lunch - it was very much appreciated.
We go over to Germany to do a bit of shopping.....the Euro is so low that we have to take advantage of that. We go a bit mad and come away with half a drug-store! :) Just an example: Magnesium-Calcium tablets from pure dolomite cost Euro 3.45 which is Sfr. 5.20. We pay Sfr. 14.50 in Switzerland!!
If you're reading this Barbara, then yes, I did get your fixes for you and your Labello lipsticks..... ;)
We leave Basel at 4.45 pm - it's 10 °C with blue skies and fluffy clouds - and make our way home to St. Gallen.
Of course, good things can't last long and we hit a snow storm and heavy traffic. We sit in a jam for nearly an hour and finally get home at 7.30 pm.......happy but very tired.
It's Good Friday tomorrow and I am going to sleep in looooonnnnggg.......roll on Easter holidays.......
It's General Conference weekend.....I love conference time.
Hugs all,
Rebecca
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