JulieMahony

Back in 2000, on 14th August, came the sad news that Dad had gone on to meet the Lord. I was totally devastated. I did not believe in God at the time.
Over the years as I was growing up, I had always been Dads ‘little helper’. Dad was a carpenter by trade but could turn his hand to just about anything. He fixed his own motorcars, and I was always covered in as much grease as him,. He made tin chimneys for peoples homes, I was there, passing this or that as he needed it. He was a grave digger for the local undertaker, I was Not with him on those jobs :0 . He erected fencing on properties, I was there, not of great help but there anyway. Dad did all sorts of odd jobs for all sorts of people. I was there whenever I could be. Dad had always been a heavy drinker but as a child, I didn’t see that, he was my Dad and I loved him.
After I had married, moved away then moved back, Dad and I continued with our closeness. Then one day, because of his drinking habit, we had a difference of opinion. It was a doozy. I didn’t talk to him for several years. Then he had a heart attack which thawed my heart a tad because he was not allowed to drink anymore, but I was still angry with him. Then he and Mum moved to Queensland. I missed them both so much.
After a few years up there, Mum and Dad, moved back to NSW. Mum and Dad both came to the Lord there. Then he had to have both knees replaced, major op. I went to look after Mum as she had had a stroke a couple of years before. Dad and I became close again, but it didn’t last. Another huge argument occurred and I went home. We made up after a time, and all was ok again as long as we were not living too close, the phone was good enough. Just three months later, God took Dad Home.
We all, five of us, converged on Mum. The time of arrangements went by in a blur. Dad was buried. We were all stressed.
My brother Allen, and his wife were Christians and I was amazed at how calm he was and how he went about the task of ‘executer’ of Dads will etc. The day after Dad was buried, one of the family, suggested McDonnell’s. Ok was the reply. I’m not keen on Macca’s so went to KFC for my chicken and……took it into into Macca’s Well, that is a ‘no no‘, against the law to take food from one outlet, into another. No problem, wrapped a Big Mac paper around my KFC box and tucked in :) :0 .
That was the beginning of one of the funniest ‘eat out’ lunches ever. We started (very discreetly of coarse), to mock, poke fun at, wave to and laugh at other people. The more we did it, the more we laughed and egged each other on. A lady on the outside, waved to someone inside. We all waved back to her. The look on her face was classic. Guess what? We nearly cried laughing at her. We were truly like little kids running amuck. Then came the throwing of our rubbish at each other. Allen’s wife, in mock disgrace at us all, move to another table. She didn’t stay there too long. We threw all the rubbish at her until she came back to our table. We laughed like we had never laughed before. Other people in Macca’s either laughed with or at us, or turned away in disgust at these grown ups carrying on as we were. (The youngest of us was I think about 32 years old?) We didn’t care, we were having fun. We needed the release. During the coarse of our ‘fun’, someone started to say ‘mac’ in front of all their words. Can you imagine the results of this. We all started to do the same. We stumbled over words, laughed about it, stumbled more and laughed more.
“MacPass MacThe MacSalt. . . . . MacThrow MacThe MacPaper MacAt MacAllen. . . . MacThat MacPerson MacHas MacTheir MacHat MacOn MacSideways. . . .“ MacEtc, MacEtc, MacEtc
We were MacHappy. We had the best time and MacLunch took quite a few hours as you could MacImagine J:) :-)
I remember later in the afternoon back at Mums house, after we had calmed down considerably and nursed our sore and aching sides, Allen saying,
“I defy anyone to guess that we had just buried our Dad the yesterday”.
The next day, Sunday 20th August, 2000, my youngest sister and I, gave our lives to the Lord. I didn’t stayed on the true path. I had a massive backslide. But the Lord tapped me on the shoulder again about 4 years ago. I am never going to get off His Highway again. I am so MacHappy with my MacLot now.
P.S. We did clean up our own mess in Macca’s too.