To Live is Christ, To Die is Gain

I don’t like funerals. Not that I don’t like celebrating the life of a loved one that may have made a huge impact in my life. I just don’t like the idea of viewing a dead body lying in a casket. I always tend to stare at the fingers and 99% of the time, they move. I’m serious. It’s freaky. Of course I have watched way more than a fair share of horror movies in my life.

I don’t like the pleasantries from long-lost relatives you haven’t seen in years talking about how big (fat in nicer terms) you’ve gotten or how good the “dead” body looks so natural. I’m not a big fan of everyone being in such a poor mood. Kinda brings me down. Of course it is a funeral.

I’ve always talked to my wife about my funeral (A.K.A.-PARTY). I think a funeral should be a celebration. Especially for those that are children of God. There’s nothing to be sad about except they are not with you anymore. But to be absent in body is to be present with the Lord. I’m all about shaking my booty for that.

I’ve also told Carrie that I really want to either preach my own funeral or at least sing at it. I know. Morbid right? But oh the miracles of video these days.  I once read a book where the father died and in his last will, he demanded that the funeral was short and sweet with just the immediate family and then the next weekend, that the whole town was to have a celebration in the town park. Now, that’s what I’m talking about. Because Lord knows, I’m gonna be partying in Heaven, why not you as well.

I’m usually not very moved by death unless it was someone close to me or I’m with someone who was very close to the deceased. To me, death is a natural process in the order of life. It happens. Every one will die sometime, so I tend to not get carried away by it. Just yesterday, I was thinking about the circle of life. Carrie is pregnant and her Grandfather just passed away. As one moves on, another comes into the world. And every day, this happens all across the world. As someone passes, another comes in. I think even Solomon talked about this in Ecclesiastes.

I’ve had folks tell me I’m cold-hearted. I’m not. I just understand the process of life. Death happens. Life happens. We move on and others move into our place. Nothing is new under the sun.