The clergyman was finishing the graveside service. Suddenly, the 78-year-old man, whose wife of 50 years had just died, began crying, "Oh, oh, oh, how I loved her!" His mournful wail interrupted the dignified quiet of the ceremony. The other family members standing around the grave looked a little shocked and embarrassed. His grown children tried to shush their father. "It's okay, Dad; we understand. Shush." Their father stared fixedly at the casket lowering slowing into the grave. As the family each took turns shoveling dirt onto the coffin, he moaned loudly again, "Oh, how I loved her!" His daughter and son again tried to restrain him, but he continued, "I loved her!"
Now, as the rest of those gathered around began to leave the grave, the man stubbornly resisted. He stayed, staring into the grave. The clergyman approached. "I know how you must feel, but it's time to leave. We all must go on with life." "Oh, how I loved her!" the man moaned, miserably. "You don't understand," he said to the clergyman, "I almost told her once."
