Go to the Funeral

I’ll keep this short and sweet.

 

We are all raised with different values and norms … what’s right and wrong. Growing up, I was taught that some things were just the right things to do, even if they were not convenient. I have tried to stick to those principles today, as they have served me well.

 

One of those values is that going to a funeral for someone you know is just the right thing to do. Even if you only know them through someone, you still go. I suppose it goes back to Jewish and other cultures, where funerals were not private things … they were community things. Even growing up, I remember if someone died in our community, it seemed like everyone and their brother was at the visitation or the funeral. 

 

I never realized these values I was raised with were normal across many places. When I worked in Rocky Mount, VA, life crawled at a different, slower pace there. As the pastor, if I were in a funeral procession, just about everyone on the road would pull over to pay their respects to the deceased. I always thought this was a beautiful and kind gesture … especially in our hurried world.

 

I once stumbled across an article titled, “Go to the Funeral.” It was a great reminder to me that what I was taught about funerals was valuable. Families and friends of the departed truly appreciate the effort that people make to honor their loved one. Plus, they need all the support they can get. On top of that, it is a good reminder of our own mortality and of the need to appreciate life daily.

 

So, go to the funeral.