We have gathered here to mourn and celebrate the life of our much loved cousin, Tiki Whatley, and our hearts are heavy, and the tears are flowing freely. Unexpectedly, a thread has been cut from the fabric of our family, and the Underwood 1st cousin circle is in mourning over the loss of a treasured person. The anguish that we are experiencing is intense, and the absence of Tiki is a weight that can be felt.
When we learned of Tiki’s passing, it was with a heavy heart that we shared the news with each other. We were at a loss for words and had a difficult time finding peace as a result of the grief caused by the loss.
The burden of sadness made it impossible for us to muster the fortitude to communicate our feelings yesterday, and as we endured a night of tossing and turning, we found solace in the memories that we all had of Tiki.
We have gathered here today to pay our respects to a spirit that departed from us much too soon. Not only was Tiki a cousin, but she was also a radiant soul, a source of joy, and an essential component of the fabric that encompasses our family and brings us all together.
The sound of her laughing reverberated throughout the room, and the rooms that she entered were lighted by her presence. In the circle of our beloved Underwood first cousins, the absence of Tiki creates a vacuum that cannot be filled.
It serves as a demonstration of the influence that she had on our lives and a manifestation of the love that she bestowed upon each of us. We seek comfort from the words of the Bible whenever we are experiencing a period of loss.
