Good Night... and Good Luck

The Oscars are upon us, and I have yet to see my ballot. Some people are slipping...

I went to a funeral the other day. The father and husband of dear friends of the family had passed, and out of respect to them both my mother and I attended.

Alot of other people went just to the visitation, but I think that is a cop out. The hard part is the actual funeral, and that is where you should be. Also, the actual service has a defined starting time, which means you actually have to make an effort to be there. Visitation has a range of times, so it is at your convenience. It just seems more meaningfull if you don't just drop by.

Anyway, I made some observations whle I was there and would lke to share them.

At my funeral, I would like a rosary said. I do not want a 20 minute sermon on how only God can comfort you in your personal time of loss. This may be true to some people and in some ways, but we will not debate that here. What it did do was take focus away of why were there... to commemorate to deceased. Storys should be told, memories should be shared. It should not be a bible study.

I would also like my funeral to take place in a church. If you truly believe that death is simply the separation of the spirit from the body, then the ceremony should take place in the same place where your soul was saved... by baptisim... in church. Besides, if God truly is the only one that can comfort you, what better place than his house?

I would like a priest do do my funeral service. I like qualified people working as contractors to the family. Besides, when my grandfather passed, the priest, whom had the personallity of an accountant, managed to do a good service and rip at least a few tears out of every eye in the place. I still remember the line, speaking for my grandpa "Remember me loving you." I am getting choked up even now.

If there is to be music, if my be performed live. No playing CDs over a PA.

Anyhow, there must be a feast afterward... everyone is expected to eat enough to choke a horse and get just a little tipsy... including the priest.

Other than that, my only other demand is that I have a head stone somewhere. Not a marker, a head stone so that there is some evidence that I was here.

One last point here. I have talked several times about the true measure of a man. Someday I will come up with a definitve formula, but one aspect would be friends. Not, acquaintances but true friends. People who weep at your funeral not just because you were too young, or it was sudden, or because they can relate it to someone they are close to or were. But because the truly feel they have lost something. People who you can not talk to in 5 years, and with one phone call you either step right back into the friendship or they rise to some desperate situation. Or someone who you see every day and when you suddenly don't it feels odd and unwhole.

On a lighter note, the Olympics are mercifully over and spring is in the air... Baseball is back. We are entering the best few months of the year. The best months of the year sports wise is September/October, followed closely by March/April. We have the NCAA tournament, NBA playoffs, NHL playoffs, The NFL draft and Baseball opening day and spring training... It's a beautiful time.

Until next time... in the voice of Bob Ross (soft deep tones) Happy painting and God Bless.