Dead Men (and Women) Talking

Funerals

I cannot clearly remember my first funeral. It was probably well before the age of individual consciousness, I do, however, clearly remember my first, and second, most “important funerals. These two funerals from my early life were for my best friends, my Dad and my Grandmother, and I refer to them often in my blogs. 

As I write this, I am waiting for such an event to begin.

Culturally, funerals carry a lot of weight; it seems almost as much as weddings.

At many recent funerals, I have noticed that people have been calling them by their new alternative name, “Home-going celebrations.” And, yes this is a much more uplifting phrase and encouraging concept.

I have long thought that, in a sense, funerals are much like weddings and are not really intended for the name of the individual(s) listed on the programs or invitations. I think funerals are for us- the living.

At each celebration of a life snuffed out, we hear the clarion call of the universe to our hearts that our lives should be different somehow; they should be "more" or 'better' or just "something"…

We feel all the things that we should during the processing of the grief and mourning, and perhaps mourn a tiny bit for what we "could have been."

And, every time we go through this process, we promise ourselves that we are going to “get it together” and live differently. But, in time, actually a relatively short time, we go back to “life as usual” and we forget…

We forget again, and again, and again…

What if we celebrated and honored our lives, while we were still living them?!

What if we cared more about what we think of about our own lives while we are still living them, than we do about what people will say about us after we are gone?

What if we cared about how we live and who we are each and every day?

What would life look like if we lived each day to its fullest and to our fullest potential?

What do you think?