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February 2, 2015

The Happy Funeral

A journal entry:

Today was a pretty special day to me. Kevin and I drove over to Pensacola from Mobile to be with Pastors Mark and Janet Brazee for Mama J’s mother’s funeral. 

I thought we were going to support our spiritual parents during this celebration of Ruth Courtney’s life. And we did. But I wept through most of the home going service (happy tears) as person after person talked about how HAPPY she was. I sat thinking…and she was a pastor’s wife!! Then the next thought was of how happy MamaJ always is. Ahhh, “like Mama like daughter”. Here was a mother who actually enjoyed serving others, modeled it to her daughter instead of complaining to her daughter about it. The result I observed today as we laughed together later reminiscing over photos from a life time, sipping sweet iced tea in the panhandle of Florida, was a truly happy ministry family. Not a perfect family without struggle but a genuinely happy one ANYWAY. 

I think I was inspired today for a happy future maybe as much as at any wedding. Now, if only my funeral some day will be able to inject as much joy into some young woman as Mrs. Courtney’s  did me! I pray that I will leave a happy legacy for my boys and everyone I come in contact with. Thinking about what Mama J’s gleaming smile has meant to me over the decades that she, no doubt, inherited from her mom, Mrs. Courtney, I only hope that others are warmed by my smile and impacted by my genuine happiness that comes only from my Saviour! 

I have a couple of simple questions for you and I want you to actually answer them out loud with a simple yes or no. Would your funeral be a happy one? Would people take turns telling everyone how happy you were to do this and to do that? Do you smile often? Well, this website is dedicated to changing your No into a Yes! Please do not hesitate to email me if you need to schedule a “happy session”. I am offering them for free as I have openings until I am fully certified for Happy Coaching. Plus if you are in the area, we have Happy Hours and Happy Days Studies scheduled for the Winter/Spring & even an online group you can join to go through my new Devotional, Happy Anyway, that is being piloted one more time before officially going to press!! You can also buy a Happy in the online Happy Store and help spread the Happy. So jump in and get your happy on! 

 

  1. Pam Parker says:

    I love this! I say Live backwards–what will people say! What an incredible thing that people can say at someones funeral! It is really all we have–memories. People remember how you make them feel–and if they smile. It is simply a choice.

    • Adrienne Cooley says:

      Great comment, Pam! Well said. I love this addition to this post. Not sure how I missed it until now but thanks so much for commenting. I hope more will comment so we can all glean from each other on these posts.

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