Chapter 12 - The End

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A crowd of people were assembled at the door of the Chapel. Sara wanted to video Max's coffin wreathed in flowers sitting on top of the magnificent sheet which she and Max had designed and coloured. She took picture of the hearse and the coffin and we went into the Chapel.

The service started with 'In the Summertime' by Mungo Jerry. Max loved this song and although it might seem inappropriate, it was an upbeat song to celebrate his life. The same was true of the primary hymn which was 'All things Bright and Beautiful'.

There were readings made by Max's school teacher and others close to the family.

The memorial address was given by a family friend. He too had lost a child, which made the task much more difficult than it would have otherwise been. His reading was deeply moving and we were very grateful for his kind contribution.

Paula commented to me in the middle of the service.

"Dad, everyone else is crying but I'm not." She was very proud of herself. Her time was to come later.

The service ended with 'Let It Be' by the Beatles. 'Let It Be' was my choice because I wanted to start to lay the pain to rest. This was the start of a long and difficult journey.

We went to a pub after the funeral and most of the congregation came too. In the evening about eight people came back to the house. Much alcohol was drunk and there was a lot of laughter. This was what was needed. It was a vent and not the morbid gathering and deathly reflection which I had so dreaded.

The funeral was a celebration of Max's life. It was a celebration of a child who touched so many with his quiet courage. I felt that Max would have been proud and happy by the way he was remembered. There was nothing that I or Sara would have done differently and this was very important to both of us.

We had a lot of comments about how this moving and personal service captured the spirit of Max. We felt that we had given him all he deserved.

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