When you die,
which would you most like to have perform at your funeral: (a) 76 trombones?
(b) An electric guitar? (c) A simple banjo? (d) A full orchestra in tails? What does your choice say about how you hope
to live? (Serendipity Bible 10th Anniversary Edition, p.130).
The
most important thing about a funeral from my point of view is that the essence
of the person be reflected in the tone of the occasion. The question is: what tone do I wish to predominate
at my funeral? In a way the question becomes: if I could attend my own funeral, what
atmosphere would make me feel most comfortable?
I encapsulate this by seeing the face of my brother. Like Standifer men generally, he can become
sentimental and shed a tear or two, but the overwhelming aspect on his face is
one of happiness. At my funeral if tears
are shed, I want people to smile through their tears. If they don’t cry (and, of course, those not
of immediate family typically do not), I would want them to pay tribute not by displaying
only but by experiencing genuine happiness.
I love a good sense of humor and during my life have thrived best when
graced by it. The biggest joke of all is
life itself. Look at it; we spend a
lifetime gaining experience, skill, and knowledge, only to have it culminate in
death. This certainly qualifies as either
comedy or tragedy. Which one depends
largely on one’s sense of humor, but then also a smidgen on a firm and
confident belief in the eternal nature of love. Thus, I would like my funeral to be
accompanied with wit and humor and the tangible presence of love. I would like to get up some momentum and with
a little help from my friends summersault through the swinging doors of eternal
life.
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