Funerals

[nailit]

After recently reading some of Buenchicos posts recently about the dead should be forgotten about asap (which to me seems to have a sort of logic about it) and a recent entry in my local papers 'dispatch' column re: a deceased person requesting no funeral at all and no flowers or donations, it just got me thinking..
just what *IS* the point of a funeral?
Everyone that Ive been too has been boring to say the least and pretentious at best.

[Mamyalynne]

I hope you're right there Baldric.x

If we can plan our own at least in part then that would help, Bill did.

[Peter Pedant]

I was chucked out of funeral for being too jolly. po-faced means glum or looking glum.

Forget Dr Price
I was making it up - I dont think you are ready for things like cremation and Parsees' towers of silence
and there is no persian minority in India called Parsees
oops my bad
Parsees dont exist and the towers of silence arent (silent)
dubbl sozza = sorry

[rowanwitch]

Dave had a pure cremation, I didn't even know the day it took place. I got his ashes back and we will have a simple ceremony to scatter them.

[kvalidir]

I can understand you perfectly Pete ( mind you not sure what that says about either of us :) xxx

[Theland]

Nailit, been talking to you for many years.
Feel quite affectionate to you, you are a good guy.
I feel sorry for you though, that your personal issues seem to shine through into a very depressing cynicism that can't be doing you any good.
I wish we had each other's e mails but sadly not possible. I am sure you would benefit from more personal contact than simply AB.
With the greatest of respect my friend.

[ummmm]

My dads funeral was a brilliant day. Obviously it started very sad but the wake was brilliant. Family and friends all together. People we hadn't seen for years.

One bloke, I didn't know, flew over from Ireland and flew back the same day. He brought me a handkerchief with my dads initials embroidered on it.

The stories were great.

I won't go to a funeral again though except my mums....if I live longer than her.

[Peter Pedant]

hmm I think we've buried that one !

[Peter Pedant]

// I wish we had each other's e mails but sadly not possible.//

you can set up junk email box as [email protected] or something
advertise it and then junk it 48 hrs later

thx kval - three instances of staking out bodies for wild thangs to eat ( to wit Nail, Price and Parsees) blew the midnight mind ....

[AuntLydia]

The point of a funeral should be a celebration of that person's life and its closure. How people do that is personal to them, may seem 'pretentious' or 'boring' to an outsider but often people who are dying arrange what they want or do not want at their funeral and really if you can't respect that there is no point going.

[rowanwitch]

There will be no one left to give a monkeys when I die. Nice if I could arrange something but who would check if it happens

[ummmm]

Agree AuntyL. My dad arranged his own funeral. We carried out his wishes.

[ummmm]

Rowan - us, we care!!

[rowanwitch]

I dont think AB friendships extend that far... All I can do is leave clear instructions and a decent insurance policy

[albaqwerty]

Rowan's planning on outliving us all ummm :-)

A brother died in the US, was cremated there, family gathered to scatter his ashes at Loch Lomond, then we all went and had a lovely meal.
Much hilarity at the table, the poor waitress asked what we were celebrating, when she was told she didn't know where to look, the poor lass.

[Barmaid]

Funerals are for the living and I believe they should be a celebration of a life. In my experience of funerals (and I work mainly with estates, so I meet or talk to the bereaved every day), people feel it is the last thing they can do for the deceased and most I meet will do their utmost to honour the deceased's last wishes. Although a few will even argue over that.

The last funeral I went to was excellent and many people since have said how they enjoyed it! It was humanist with a football theme. I had never heard an impromtu round of applause at a funeral before.

I am not sure there is a "point" because a funeral can be many different things to many different people.

[ummmm]

There was over 450 people at my dads funeral. That is a lot of hand shaking.

[rowanwitch]

A large bar bill too....