Funeral Arrangements

[poliphilo]

The humanist celebrant guy is called Paul and I thought, "yeah, you'll do." He's young and extrovert and- most importantly- he radiates an aura of knowing his stuff. That's what you want- more than compassion, more than eloquence, more than anything else- the sense that you're in the hands of someone who will be in charge and get you through.

We talked about music. My niece suggested that we file out to Eric Idle singing "Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life". We agreed that this would be great. My brother-in-law, who wasn't at the meeting, said he thought it was a trite choice, and proposed a stomp by Leonard Cohen. Well, he's right and he's wrong. The Cohen is a better piece of music, but funeral music isn't about taste it's about familiarity. The Monty Python song pushes buttons. And its right for Bran- who was a guy who used to shin up lamp-posts and sit on top of them watching the world go by.

Comments

[jackiejj.livejournal.com]

Excellent choice of music!

I like the idea that he sat on top of lamp posts and watched the world go by.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Apparently he'd climb anything.

As a teenager he'd climb out of his bedroom window and go sit on the roof (a steeply pitched roof)for hours on end.

[halfmoon-mollie.livejournal.com]

I like your Bran, wish I'd known him. And BTW, Eric Idle is always a better choice than Leonard Cohen (after I listen to Leonard, I want to jump off a roof!)

That's what you want- more than compassion, more than eloquence, more than anything else- the sense that you're in the hands of someone who will be in charge and get you through.

Yes indeed.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I have to say I didn't know him all that well.

He was someone who sometimes showed up at family gatherings.

I wish now I'd made more of an effort to get alongside him.

[lblanchard.livejournal.com]

This is precisely how I feel about my little brother, who died earlier this month. He was apparently very similar to your Bran, except that he'd go fishing rather than climb a pole.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

When my father died it was as if he'd stopped being the rather tiresome, self-centred old chap he was in old age and became his true self- a distillation of all the different selves he'd been from childhood on. Suddenly, for the first time in 40 odd years, I found myself actually rather fond of him.

[lblanchard.livejournal.com]

Wow. This is an insight to save.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I've just expanded it into a post :)