Last week, our Friday night bunch went to the Emma Kelly Theater to share laughter, tears and real life experiences with the cast of "The Funeral Club." As the play unfolded, I couldn't help but realize that we knew just about everyone in the audience and we were among friends who could not only identify with but share together a touching moment in time.
    Imagine, if you will, a privately-owned funeral home that keeps the "fun" in funeral, along with a number of family-owned businesses struggling to stay alive in the wake of an economic crisis. Sound familiar? There is, of course, a by-pass where a large all-inclusive and all-powerful chain store is making so many of those Mom and Pop stores obsolete.
    From where I sit, the funeral home is no different than any other home-owned business where the folks who run it know everyone in town, deeply love those they serve and coming to work is a joy and not a job. There is one difference: we are privileged to be a part of the life of each individual on that stage. While those actors skillfully let us see a family of friends, we are also made aware that there is a private part of their lives which has been protected and hidden but shared with us when the time is appropriate.
    As we are told each secret, we understand what keeps them together and why they will never separate even when death and tragedy combine to attempt to tear them apart.
    There were moments when I felt as though I was an intruder listening to a private conversation between friends. I still had to laugh out loud when I could only imagine the tattoo we were not, thankfully, allowed to see. I unashamedly struggled with the grief I felt at the death of a young man whose life had been a blessing to his community. And my heart was blessed by the strength of those who would carry on after the death of the director who had brought and kept these individuals together for a lifetime.
    Of course this was a play! And yet, it was more than a play. We all witnessed a slice of life and time about our home town of Statesboro, Ga. The play spoke the words that we struggle to speak out loud.
    Our town may struggle in a time of economic hardship, but it will not die! Mom and Pop stores may have to compete with the inevitable mega-marts, but they will survive! We may lose loved ones to the ravages of time and illness, but we will not quit!
    We are all a family brought together by God Almighty and made strong by the realities of everyday living.
    Quiet! The curtain is rising on my life. The stage is set. There is my cue. The moment is mine. I am ready to begin. I will not fear for God is my Director.