Made it to the funeral this morning; we'll call him E.M. It was really the first full Catholic Mass funeral I'd been to/participated in (there was one a long time ago but it's a long story and I was still new to the faith). Where I've been used to funerals being celebrated in dole old funeral homes (I grew up United), ours are celebrated at church. A fitting place, I think. I found the Catholic funeral to be.. comprehensive. I liked it. A lot more involved, of course, than the funerals I am used to, but not in a burdensome way, just... different.
I'm sure I'd mentioned at some point about my "very good" containment of emotions; at funerals as a child (I went to so many), I never cried. I'd always saved that for later, if at all, outside public gatherings. I'd well up, sure, but nothing exagerant. The last funeral I'd been to, if I remember, was my (maternal) grandma's. That was quite some time ago. I remember it a bit. Don't think I was too emotional for that one, either. But I cried for E. today. He was a man that lived the Faith by example and Father coined his words about him perfectly (after reading the Beatitudes, so fitting for E.); what he did, he did in the background. The Faith was so much about who he was and he involved himself in so many things, helping so many people. Never needing recognition (although he received it), but because that's what you do - love your fellow man. He's one of those people you can't say anything bad about; there just wasn't anything bad to say. He had a good heart. He was one of the first people I got to know and he was an instrument in encouraging my Faith in the Church (he helped teach my RCIA class) so he was among the handful of special ones for me. God love him, and may he rest in peace now with our Lord.
It's natural to sit there and think about your own mortality, perhaps giving you a sober look into your current life. What would they say at my funeral? Am I living my life the best way I know how? Am I being a positive contributor? etc, etc. Surprisingly, I'm satisfied with some (though not all) of my own answers, but there's always room for improvement, right? That's what growth is all about.
Anyways, enough sadness. The rest of the day shall be celebrating life. I may be getting together with friends this evening (hopefully) and I'm looking forward to that. If not, well, I'll find a way to be productive somehow.
It's the long weekend here and a time to relax. I hope you're having a great start to the weekend. Spend it with family, friends.. or maybe you have a garden to tend to? BBQ's to go to? In any case, be safe. And wear sunscreen! :)
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