Abigail's Casket

I wanted to do something for Abigail, something special.  We had been looking for different caskets for Abigail, but most looked like shoe boxes or storage containers.  I wanted to do something different for her and I wanted to put in the work to do it.  There is this friend I know, Gary Young, one of the most amazing guys you will ever meet.  He works in construction by trade (owns a business with his son), but he also does woodworking on the side.  We just happened to be going down to Toquerville for Christmas.  I was a little hesitant to give Gary a call.  He's a great guy to talk to, but I don't like talking about the situation with Abigail.  It takes too much energy out of me and I've never liked crying.  I even took a long drive to my parent's house in Christmas Eve to pick up some bed mattresses from my sister in law and thought it was a perfect opportunity to call and ask Gary if he could help, but I didn't do it because I exhausted my mind and spirit just thinking about it. 

When I got back home, Katrina had asked me if I called him yet, I told her no, so she called Gary on her phone, put it on speaker and then held it out of my arm's length so I had to talk to Gary. He was of course very gracious.  He's never done anything like this before, but he would be more than happy to help.

December 26th came.  We weren't sure if we were even going down to Toquerville.  Sam woke up that morning sick.  There had been some sickness going around our family.  But we went and Sam would just have to stick it out in the room that Grandma Renee was letting us stay in until he felt better.  We got down to Toquerville and I met up with Gary around 3:30.  The last time I saw Gary, it was when we moved. He had had a stroke only a month or so earlier and you could still see the remnants of the stroke.  As an attestation to how awesome he is, even after the stroke, he still came over to help us move.  This time when I saw him, he was back to his normal self, which was great to see.  He already had a bunch of wood cut for the sides and bottom of the casket, so we just needed to glue and nail them into place.  He didn't have a top yet, but we made some good progress that day.  I was only there for an hour or so, but we were able to make quick work.  Gary shared with me everything going on in the area since we left.  I was glad, because it helped to keep my mind off of the situation with Abigail.

Our first day progress

Gary asked that I come back on the 27th when he would have the top and we could finish off the rest of the casket (minus varnish and stain, we will do that at home).  Katrina and the kids came along on the 27th, though they didn't stay long because it was freezing outside and there was too much going on in Gary's shop for them to spend too much time in there.  But Katrina stuck around long enough to give Gary a hug and talk to him about Abigail a little and look at our progress

You could spend days looking around Gary's workshop

He always made sure I was getting my hands dirty.  He made sure I got to be involved in every step of the process.

We got the top situated and had to do some sanding to get the sides matched up.  We also put some handles on both sides so the boys can carry the casket if they want when we go to bury Abigail, and also some locks up top.

As I said before, I don't like talking about Abigail, but being able to work on the casket with Gary felt pretty cathartic.  Gary has always been a great friend and I feel a little sense of relief when I get to spend time with friends.  Plus, I get to give Abigail a gift that she will use until her body is ready to be resurrected.