Memorial Service

Yesterday at 2:00 about 300 people gathered under a tent at the Washtenong Cemetery north of Ann Arbor. It was a yearly memorial service for all of those who donated their bodies for study at U of M. My dad was one of those so my mom, Tom and I, and my two sisters were there. It was an interesting service and at times quite moving. They never mentioned the names of the donors, not even a listing, which was fine. The entire thing was put on by medical students and there were many in attendance in their white coats. There was some beautiful music (all performed by med students) and about five speeches by med students and one young doctor all expressing their gratitude for what the donations of bodies mean for them. I was quite impressed. Of course, one thing sadly missing was a reference to Jesus. There was a pretty generic, long, and flowery prayer, however, to the "Creator". It was a much bigger "deal" than I expected it to be. Dad would have loved the speeches and the gratitude expressed. He would also have loved to be present as they were studying his body. He would have been in there teaching right along with the professors.