A few weeks ago I attended the graveside service of Wilma Cooper. Wilma had lived a long and productive life and I wish I had known her better. She was a strong woman with strong convictions, a woman who was probably ahead of her time in much of the way she thought.
For some strange reason, I have always enjoyed a "good funeral" and Wilma's graveside service was just that. It was a celebration of a life that was well lived. It was a gathering of friends and family in Clinton, MS at the old Clinton Cemetery on a warm summer day. At Wilma's request, there was no funeral at the church but a simple graveside service.
Wilma had also requested that all who attended be comfortable, no ties or jackets or suits. So there we stood in our short sleeved shirts and dresses as the Reverend Linda McComb stood at the graveside podium and preached Wilma's funeral. Linda, a classmate of mine from Mississippi College, told of a remarkable woman and the salvation that extends beyond the grave.
Near the end of the service, at the request of the family, Linda read a poem, I Have Not Squandered My Life, written by Joe Cooper, Wilma's husband of 67 years, a wonderful man who holds the respect of all he has ever met. I liked the poem. It spoke to me and I wanted to share it.
I Have Not Squandered My Life
I have not squandered all my life.
Some, yes. Much? Perhaps. But not all.
For I have watched the sun break through clouds mauve and vermilion;
Have sniffed aromas from new-mown hay;
Cuddled fuzzy chicks in bare hands;
Crooned thoughtlessly while rocking sleeping infants;
Caressed, and been caressed.
I have not squandered all my life.
-Joe Cooper
Thank goodness for "good funerals". Sometimes they encourage us to live a better, less squandered life.
