A Difficult Choice

This was the most difficult step yet, standing in that cold room looking at the various display cremation coffins, imagining my baby boy's body, all 6 foot 2 inches of him, being placed in one of these.  Knowing that it was only the shell he had left behind was of little comfort in that moment. So many choices, from the purely functional to the ornate.  With lining and pillow, or without?  As I wandered from casket to casket, I kept staring at the most basic one, literally a cardboard box.  My rational mind could understand that it really didn't matter which one I finally chose, but my heart and soul felt otherwise.  As I contemplated all the options, Michael's sense of humour and practicality were trying to make a case about how appropriate that cardboard version would be. He was laughing as he showed me the comic connection to his work environment which was full of cardboard boxes, and then in his no nonsense way adding, "Mom, the fancier ones are just a waste of money."  He listened to my arguments with compassion and that sparkle in his eyes, and then smiling, he indulged me in my final choice.  Thank you Michael for being with me and lightening up that difficult situation, just as you had done for me so many times before.