It seems that funerals, visitations, calling hours - whatever they call it in your world - have become a big part of our social lives the past few years. Maybe it's because we live in a town where everybody knows everybody - or is it just part of the aging process? Maybe it's just the way it's going to be from now on, but I'm not the biggest fan.
Most of the funerals we attend are, thankfully, for old timers....folks who have had long, well-lived lives. It's not easy, losing a loved one, at ANY age...I know that...But saying good-bye to a younger person is even harder and that's where faith really comes into play. Not sure what I'd do without my faith...
Having gone thru my Dad's and in-laws' funeral services, I get it. Funerals are a comfort to the family - hearing kind words about our loved ones IS very comforting. Giving folks the opportunity to say their farewells is good for us, too. But maybe even more importantly than that, is that funerals serve as a reminder of our own mortality- a nudge to live right, right now.
I try to take the attitude that if funerals make us realize that we're just renting space here on earth -that we're all headed "there" at some point and that there's something even better in the afterlife - the obligation of attending funerals isn't the worst thing in the world, is it? But the need to attend funerals can certainly slow down a bit...I'm just sayin'.....
No comments:
Post a Comment