I was just thinking... I added Ozzy's "See You on the Other Side" to my Myspace page a few days ago. So I was thinking... and this is a terrible thing to think, because its NOT something I want to happen, ever, but... when my mom dies, I think I will have that played at her funeral. She really likes Ozzy, and it would be really fitting. Plus it would have the added bonus of totally freaking out the entire family. "Oh my lord, can you believe Tara played something by Ozzy Osbourne at Faye's funeral? That girl ain't right!" Ha ha ha ha ha.
A funeral should be something to honor the dead person, after all. I remember when my cousin Chris died a few years ago. Chris was one of the few among my family who wasn't bogged down by the whole small-southern-town-get-married-pop-out-babies-go-to-church-every-Sunday mentality. He was really smart, had a twisted sense of humor and good taste in music. One of those people who you'd never know grew up in a tiny Southern Baptist town, you know? Well, his parents planned the funeral, and it didn't really reflect who he was at all. They played all these Christian pop songs, and the preacher kept talking about how it would be okay, because Chris had told one of the cousins years ago that he was "saved." (Chris killed himself as far as we can tell, so of course this was an issue for most of the family, as they're pretty religious.)
Well, first of all, that was a stupid thing to say, because according to their beliefs, committing suicide sends a person straight to hell. I don't believe that of course, but most of my family do. So no sense trying to reassure them... and how hypocritical for a preacher to say to them in church on sundays that suicide is a sin, then tell the family of a suicide victim that no, it's okay, he'll actually go to heaven? Also, Christian music??? Puh-leeze. Chris never went to church as an adult, and liked classic rock. My Aunt Reesie even gave me all his Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd albums after he died.
I know his parents did what they thought was best. Planning any funeral is hard, especially when it's someone's child. But even though I wasn't all that close to Chris, I left the funeral thinking, "wow, that didn't reflect who he was at all."
So... when my mom dies, I'm gonna make sure that my brother and I are the only ones who have a say in planning her funeral. I'm sure that the rest of the family won't approve of it if we do, but I don't care. I'd want it to be something she'd actually want for herself. Including cremation, not burial. She's always told us she wants to be cremated, to save money. Ha ha. That's my mom, ever the bargain-hunter. So I'll make sure she is. And I'll be the one to speak, not some preacher who doesn't even know her. And if there is music, it will be stuff I know she'd like. And I'll serve chicken wings and Budweiser afterwards. And if the rest of the family doesn't like it, they can kiss it.
Not that I want my mother to die anytime soon, of course!!!! I love her bunches and bunches. It's just something I was thinking about.
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