Arayo's Ride

I was digging around on my computer tonight and up popped this, which I wrote for my dad's funeral - wow - 10 years ago!  My Dad took frugality to an art-form  and we know he was thrilled that one of our final acts on his behalf was to pay for his funeral with his Discover Card (which paid 2% back!)  I thought I'd share it -

BOB IN HEAVEN 

Bob was a WWII C-47 pilot.  How he loved to fly!

If there is a heaven, then they have a new resident this week. How happy Bob must be, with wings of his own - - not those borrowed and made of steal.  

Though he's been there only a few days, he'll have located a good map, and will be methodically flying from cloud to cloud - holding up angel traffic as he practices his take offs and landings and checks out the scenery - - maybe stopping to pick up a little trash along the way.  

In heaven there must be a big buffet, and Bob will be there every day, slowly going through the choices and making numerous trips back to sample more. Of course, he can eat all the pecan pie he wants and never gain an ounce!  

I'm sure that in heaven there isn't just one halo, but many, and Bob will already be starting his collection. Halos with many colors, halos with funny brims and halos with logos from clouds he's visited.  

Although he'll wear standard issue angel robes with pride, he'll have found a few cast-offs that may be centuries old - but brand new to him - - - best if they are in plaid and can be rolled way up so he can absorb as much of God's warming sun as possible. (In heaven, you can spend hours in the sun without the need for sunscreen.)  

My favorite photo of my dad -
probably watching a plane go by.

In these few short days, he's already finding the best deals on radios and has installed at least a dozen on his cloud (all of them on and playing to the local station) and he'll probably have picked up several others that don't work - just in case he can fix one some day or needs parts.  

Bob will have located the source of “Official Heaven Time” and have several clocks and watches, all set correctly to the nano-second - - though he'll probably have a couple set to Oswego Kansas Time as well.  

Although money isn't needed in Heaven, Bob will have figured out a way to start obtaining things for a "bargain" - old habits just don't die. "Are there ‘New Guys in Heaven’ discounts offered here?"  "If I pay for this with a ‘Heavenly Body Credit Card’ will I accumulate points or currency I can collect at the end of a year?" (It never hurts to ask, you know.)  

It goes without saying that Bob will have already found several causes very very near to his heaven home where he can get involved and volunteer his time and his skills. As other loved ones join him in heaven, they'll find it difficult to lure him away from these activities for more than a short time because of his devotion and because he's become one of the strongest rocks in the organization.  

Although Bob will have many strong beliefs, the angel population will rarely hear him express them.  Instead, over time he'll have developed a quiet and consistent presence and his beliefs will become obvious in the life he leads there.  

If there is a heaven, then they've gained a real prize this past week. Earth, Oswego and certainly his family will miss him. 81 years wasn't enough for him to be with us, but we know our sadness is for ourselves and not him.  

We know that Bob now has brand new wings of his own and he's having a much deserved wonderful time. 

Have a nice flight, Bob. We’ll miss you.  

Your daughter - Karyn