Monday, January 23, 2006

Funeral Reunions

It seems as we grow older that we often times only see our childhood friends when someone dies -- as our parents and grandparents pass, we all gather together, reminisce for a while and lament the fact that we only see each other at funeral homes and graveyards. Tonight was such a night... pictures of fifty years of marriage, children, grandchildren, memories shared... promises to keep in touch that will likely not be kept as we all get back to our busy lives. Still, it's nice, if even for a moment, to revisit those carefree childhood days... to laugh about our silly Halloween costumes, who believed in Santa the longest and to smile at the embarrassing tales told so often that we all know them by heart. Each death brings us all closer to our own mortality, which makes these forays into our childhood all the more welcomed.

4 comments:

Lauren said...

Fortunately for me, it was not one of my family members. An old friend of the family with whose children I grew up succumbed to cancer after a long and valiant battle. When another close friend passed several months back, we all felt that this would be our next funeral. We were right.

mikster said...

Sorry to hear about the loss...and to cancer...what a bummer. Funerals seem to be another form of a family/friend reunion...albeit under sad occasions.

Timestep said...

I'm so sorry. I always hate the wedding/funeral meetings. I wish I had more time to travel and see people just because.

HUGS
Kirsten

Mike Todd said...

So sorry for your loss.

This is a crappy segue, I know, but you really are an excellent writer. Very well said.