Tuesday Two - Episode 15

THIS WEEK'S TOPIC: FUNERALS

QUESTION A:
How do you feel about open casket viewings or visitations at funeral homes? Does it bother you to see the decedent or do you feel a more complete sense of closure from it?

or

QUESTION B:
If you had a chance to come back long enough to see your own funeral (unseen by the visitors, of course) just to see and hear what was said about you, explain why you would or wouldn't take that chance.

I answer Question A

Finding and accepting closure following the death of someone near and dear to you is important; vital, I think, in order to get on with one's own life. I do not care for the traditional open casket viewing at all. I much prefer to remember the individual as they were the last time I saw them. It is important that surviving friends and loved ones gather together to share memories, grief and sustain each other as best they can. For this purpose funeral homes do provide a helpful service. I don't know why the deceased person has to be present at all. Whether in a casket that is open or closed, stationed in a prominent place at the head of the room, church or wherever, that person is long gone and the knowledge that the shell that's left behind is encased in a beautifully fashioned box gives me no comfort whatsoever. A quiet gathering at a private home works just as well and offers, perhaps, a less unctuous atmosphere. Instead of viewing the body of a person I love and will never see again, I would much rather view a collection of photographs reflecting their life displayed at the memorial.