Don’t misunderstand me when I say that I really enjoyed Saturday morning’s memorial service for Myrt Hubbard Alexander. The occasion was sad, poignant, and memorable, yes – but it was also a celebration full with joy.

First Presbyterian Church of Apopka was packed to overflowing with people, and the participants all shared wonderful stories that told the truth about a life well lived, and detailed the transformational effect such a witness to love can have on the world we live in.

In other words – and from one of my favorite stories in the book GET REAL – if you want to have a great memorial service, then live a great life.

PHOTOS: 100 years and more in the past, professional photographers used to show up at funerals and offer to take family photographs. The practice made perfect sense, because funerals mark a signal moment in family history and – practically speaking – when else is everyone going to be together at the same place and time?

Nowadays we rely on someone to remember to pull out their phone and who hopefully has a long enough selfie-stick to grab a group picture! Or – if you’re lucky – a family member like me actually remembers to throw their tripod in the car and bring along a good camera.

Here are the best of this weekend’s images, taken around the huge oak tree in the courtyard at First Presbyterian Church of Apopka. The story these photographs tell is one of faith, of faithfulness, of commitment, of discipleship, of caring, of being deliberate about family, and of the joy found in celebrating a life well-lived, a faith well-practiced, and a family well-loved.

In love, and because of love – DEREK