Funeral Grass

I filmed a funeral.

I got asked to because a lady organizing/participating in it goes to New Life Church so through the vine she contacted me.

This was only the second or third funeral I have ever attended. I don't remember any of the other ones really in detail so I'm pretty inexperienced in this concept of the "celebration of death."

I didn't know what the proper attire for a funeral was so I googled it. Google said dark clothes and (in caps) never to bring to a camera. I wore a dark blue shirt, black pants, black socks, black shoes, but white underwear. (tmi?)

The ceremony and message went smoothly and quickly with only one hiccup. One of the pastors read the obituary and he read that the Vietnam Veteran was dishonorably discharged instead of honorably discharged but he corrected himself and everyone was forgiving.

After the service we went to Fort Snelling National Cemetery where there are two things: grass and white headstones.

There were a lot of workers there replacing dead grass with new grass and there were signs that read "grass restoration in progress."

I guess someone didn't water enough last year or something.

After the burial service there was a luncheon for all the attendees. It was at a senior housing center which, to me, seemed like a hotel. There people chatted and ate cake, sandwiches, and tapioca pudding.

Later on that day I went to a graduation party.

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Death has always been a bit of a mystery to me so a funeral seemed like a good place to experience it. I had so many questions about a funeral like why do we go to so much length for a dead person? Is it for honor, or pride? Is it to comfort the family? Is it the time for the "final goodbye?"

There must be this connection with humanity and death. I imagine watching Marley & Me as the family cries when the are saying there last goodbyes and then I start crying too as the little boy goes, "He knows...he knows."

Looking around at Fort Snelling Cemetery you can see a lot of flags, flowers, and other things around graves honoring the dead. I wondered what urged people to come back and do that if a funeral is the "final goodbye." Maybe just to remind themselves of the past, to provoke emotion into themselves?

Boyd has been talking about death lately and he says that we are already dead. Not physically but he says we have to wake up, that we are already dead and God is what makes us alive. I can't really remember much more about what he said but the verse that comes to mind is "dead to sin, but alive in Christ."

They said a bunch of times that a funeral is a celebration of someones life. I don't think celebration is the right word, or maybe we just don't treat it like a celebration. People are crying, comforting each other, there are no balloons or streamers.

What I mean by this is that at the graduation party, you could tell it was a celebration of someone graduating. There was a "Congrats Graduate" on the garage door and I didn't have to google what I should wear. There were colorful table cloths, candy, and you can bring presents! At a funeral you wear dark clothes, everything is plain, simple, dark. There is no colorful sign on the front door, no table cloths, and they sing sad songs. I just don't see the celebration part.

Isn't it in New Orleans where they have a parade as a funeral? What's that called?

During the burial ceremony a lot of cars and construction machines went by on the street. One of the machines was holding a big golden coffin. I wondered why they chose that coffin, why gold, and why so large. After it's buried six feet under, does it really matter?

I remember when I went to New Orleans that at the edge of the city was a large cemetery with very large headstones. Some of them with large statues or large crosses. It made me feel uncomfortable when looking at it and I thought how expensive they must have been.

Grass dies, but gets restored with newer grass, which comes in big rolls that have to be carried by a bobcat. When people die, our body gets put in a coffin then buried in dirt. Well, at least our physical body does. Who really knows what happens to our souls or spirits?

When you look at dead grass it's never an individual blade of grass, its usually a cluster of blades. It's like the surrounding blades die a little too. Maybe that is what happens when a loved one dies, a little part of ourselves dies too.

I still haven't figured out death completely and I don't think I will anytime soon. It's kind of hard to talk about or think about. They kept saying that through death, comes new life. Maybe that is what Boyd means, that we have to realize that we're already dead so that we may start our new life in Christ.

Life through death. Sounds catchy.