Yesterday we went to a funeral. The man who died was the father of a friend of ours. I didn’t know him very well, but the better-half did and certainly by all accounts he was a great guy. I was afraid we were going to have to stand during the service because there were that many people filling the chapel.
During the service, the priest told some funny stories that had the group laughing. All in all it was a very nice service and I noticed there wasn’t a lot of sniffling or tears. Are Episcopalians just more stoic? Or, did everyone acknowledge that he lived a long, good life and went very quickly (everyone’s wish)?
The deceased man’s first name is the same as my father’s so there were some parts of the service that struck me in the “holy crap how is that going to work” way. As in, when my father dies how on earth are we going to have a ceremony? Because he’s not religious and he’s not exactly the kind of man that has lots of friends who would like to say something nice about him. I joked with the better-half that perhaps we should have an open-mic and just let people say, “well, he certainly was an asshole, bless his heart”.
I don’t know. I think about my own funeral sometimes and this is what would make me the happiest…a cocktail party. Cremate me and then throw a cocktail party. Play some music, drink your favorite beverage and eat some heavy hors d’oeuvres. People can say, “well, she certainly was an asshole” if the want or they can just enjoy the party.