Tuesday, March 9, 2004

    By Tuesday morning, the rough weather of the last couple days had settled down into a mild and sunny day. The family was beginning to gather at Bellview. The Coopers came over to donate their coffee urn to the kitchen for the day. Bobbie Forbes and Dottie Hammond brought the lovely flowers they had arranged, and arrayed the house. More flowers arrived by messenger, and soon flowers were everywhere, filling Bellview with their scent. A special flower wreath for the front door had been sent, and Bucky and Pete hooked it on the door. They thought that perhaps the screen door obscured it a bit, and Bucky said he had an inspiration. He moved the wedding cross to the front porch, by the door, and hung the wreath on it. That was the perfct solution.
    Garth Eckhardt arrived at ten o'clock and the boys and Richard Purdy helped move Yo's casket to the den. It fit perfectly into the space that had been made for it. The food began to be delivered, too, and there was much arranging and arraying to be done with that. Every surface in the dining room was soon covered with food, and more supplies were stashed on the back porch and in the cellar refrigerator.
    When Sarah arrived, after driving in the very early morning, she told of a vision she had.
    "I was driving right into the sunrise," she said, "And a big, bright ray of light was streaming up in the sky. It was like huge spotlight, only so soft. And I knew that was Yo going to heaven."
    While preparations were going on, Sarah had a few minutes with Yo.
    "She looks wonderful," Sarah said. "It's so much better not having the makeup and all that. Eckhardt's did a nice job with her things. Bucky, what Bible is that?"
    "It's Yo's old Bible, with some notes she wrote in. It's her reading Bible, not a family information one." Sarah agreed that was a good choice to send off with Yo. After Sarah said her goodbyes, the family gathered in the den, and began Amy's smudging. Alyssa held the smudge stick over a plate Bucky carried, and wafted sweet scented smoke under and over Yo's casket.
    "Why are we doing this?" Alyssa asked.
    "The smoke is supposed to help carry our prayers and Yo's soul to heaven," said Bucky.
    "We're supposed to smudge the room, too," said Pete. "That's what Amy asked. I think to the four cardinal directions." Bucky said some simple impromtu prayers to the spirits of the directions, asking them to carry Yo to heaven, while Pete smudged the room. Amy's smudging was done.
    Now Terrie was getting worried. Flowers had arrived from so many people, but her special casket drape was still not there. It was almost time for the guests to begin arriving. But just as her concern was becoming the worst, her beautiful casket drape of flowers was delivered. Everyone agreed it was spectacular, and that the long stems of orchids were perfect for Yo. And that it arrived just in time, because the laying-out guests soon began to arrive.
    By the early afternoon the house was full. All of Yo's friends were there, and so were many of Bucky, Sarah and Peter's friends. Several people came who had known Yo at Keswick Home. Everyone agreed that this was the perfect way to say goodbye to Yo: gathering in the home she loved for so many years.
    "I brought a covered dish," Sue Laudeman told Bucky. "I didn't think there would be so much to eat."
    "Don't you remember the Mother's Day brunches we used to have here?" said Bucky. "This is Yo's house."
    "I guess I should have known," said Mrs. Laudeman.
    So many friends had come to see Yo off some ended up sitting on the front porch. They watched the light begin to fade as the afternoon waned. Jimmy from the funeral home arrived promptly at seven and Yo left Bellview for the last time.
    A few of the younger special friends of the family lingered to complete Yo's wake, sharing a toast of Talisker to her memory. Ten o'clock seemed like the wee hours as the last friends said their goodbyes.

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