FUNERAL

We went to Jerry's funeral this morning.  There weren't many people there.  I guess most people had to work today and so went to the viewing last night.

Almost all of the nieces and nephews and their spouses were there, along with Joe's two sisters, some of Jerry's friends and people from his church.  I had never been to a Latter Day Saints funeral before, but it was very much like any other Protestant funeral to which I have been.

Before the service I had called Human Resources to find out if I could use funeral leave for a few hours or if I had to take the whole day.  They didn't know because the person I needed to speak to was out of the office.  I called back after the service and was told I could take an entire day as funeral leave, or I could take four hours of vacation time.  (I have only a week of vacation time left, which I am taking next week.)  I told Susan at Human Resources we were short handed and she said that wasn't my fault and the branch should call for coverage assistance if they needed it.  

Joe's sister, Maria, also works for the city and, in fact, is in the same union I am.  She got upset about how my boss was treating me and firmly told me I was entitled to a funeral leave day.  (She and I had both gotten notes from the funeral director that we were there for our brother-in-law's funeral.)  That I shouldn't give up my vacation time and have to take leave without pay next week.  Then Joe told me he was going to the luncheon afterwards and I needed to show up with him.  So I ended up calling work and telling the children's librarian (my boss is on vacation this week) that I needed to take the day off.   

Now I am concerned about going in to work tomorrow and the feed back.  But I feel that as a Christian wife if my husband was that adamant about me being with him, then that was where I should be.  He never asks anything of me.  This was unusual.  I have to leave it in God's hands and stop worrying about it.  But that is hard for me to do.

It turns out that my mother-in-law needed a ride to the restaurant and then home so it helped her out too that I stuck around.  Well, we will see what tomorrow brings.