Funeral

Today I went to a funeral.  It is not something I would ever choose, but it happens unfortunately.  When I know or have known the person, I prefer to be there to say good bye.
I have been to them where there was only sadness.  I have been to others that were more like a celebration.  I will never forget someone with a terminal disease and knowing their time was almost up saying “it just means I get promoted before you all.”  It does not mean that things will not be hard, as they are, but personally I love that attitude. 
If a person must go to a funeral, today’s was a goody.
My dad’s was almost a total disaster.  The minister thought it was the next day.  We finally got on to him as we were working out an order of service ourselves, and everyone was sitting waiting patiently.
It is totally inappropriate, but someone told me a story that cracked me up.  They had said “oh, I ate so and so.”  I really did not know if I had heard right, but when they told what happened, I knew I had.  Someone had been cremated.  It was this person’s job to throw ashes from the top of a hill into the sea.  When they did, the wind blew a portion back into their open mouth.  It turned out, even if it had gone to plan, there was a ledge below, and nothing would have reached the sea anyway.
It seems I have an appointment.  It is one of those where I do not know when the appointment is, but I have it.  In one way I see an advantage in us all having it.  To me, if we did not, every cricket team would be full of the very best in history, and many would not get the chance to represent their country.  I imagine Don Bradman would still be in our team.  The same would go for all sports.  We would have nothing but the best of the best, and people on the cusp of selection would possible do other things, as they would know they would never get a chance.
I saw something once that made an incredible impression on me.  I told others.  It must have made an impression on someone else to, as they are fond of quoting it.  It was a card.  On it was written something like “sunset in one place, is sunrise in another.”
I really believe that.  For the person whose funeral it is, it is the end of the story.  I really do not like good byes.  I was never good at them, and I am terrible at them now.  What I try to remember though, even though the passing represents the end of a story, it is also the beginning of a story.
Seeing as for me, it really is all about me, the best I can do is make sure both stories make good reading.