I was once asked what I wanted at my funeral. My first thought was that I am way too young for that question. It’s true that none of us knows when God may call time, but chances are I’ll be here a while longer. Then I gave it a moment’s thought, but not a very long moment. I’ll grant that there’s some value in laying out a few things to guide grieving relatives as they cope with your departure, but here’s my problem. It may be my funeral, but it’s not about me. Yes, people would be talking about me and there’d be pictures of me and so on and so on, but the whole event is not for my benefit. I’m not there.

I’ve honestly had trouble understanding people who have adamant demands about how their funeral is to be conducted. Why do they care? Is it pride? They won’t be there to observe any of it. Why not allow friends and relatives to grieve in whatever ways will bring them the most comfort? If something unexpected were to happen to me, this is certainly what I hope for; that those closest to me will do whatever they need to do to deal with their own grief and also do the best they are able to accommodate that of others who knew me.