Last Saturday, I have joined my sister-in-law aunt's family and friends, to mourn and to celebrate her long and fruitful life on a very sunny afternoon at the hilltop of Mount Royal. It was her time, she died of old age. It was a gathering of people in a funeral home. The closest people to her and especially her family were in tears. She never married nor had children. I never actually had a real conversation with that woman nor really knew her...I have come for moral support.
The woman has planned her entire funeral..She chose the funeral home, her casket, the flowers, the time allowed for her family to see her and then for the rest of us, etc...After speaking with her nieces and my sister-in-law, she was actually planning this since a long time bit by bit changing ideas continuously and was cheerful about it. Was it leisure for her? I think yes...She knew her time was coming, and she has prepared herself to the last detail.
She even has requested that at the end of the funeral a specific song was to be played; that's where I come in. The family has asked me to play the chosen song on my accordion. At first I have declined as I tend to be emotional when it comes to departed ones and perhaps wouldn't be able to handle the pressure and secondly, I found it unsuitable to play a live instrument in such a setting. I brought the accordion at the funeral home as they asked me to, just in case I change my mind. After reflection and mourning, I have decided to go along.
I believe what I did and what they have asked me to do, was one of the greatest actions you can do for a departed one; play their song not from a disc player but lively with an instrument at their funeral. I'm sure she was smiling at me from up above. It was a bit hard to play when you see simutaneously 30 people cry after a few notes were played. At the end of the song, I had to put down the accordion and step aside to do some crying myself as I truly put tremendous emotion through my instrument.
Afterwards, we have all gathered at the funeral's home reception hall for some wine and brunch where we had the chance to rekindle with old friendships, meet new people and take the oppurtunity to speak about the departed one.
A funeral, can it possibly be leisure....
A funeral is a social gathering, people come and join together to pay their last respects and to support the family members. People cry but people also laugh.
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