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Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Straight Man

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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