In Heaven There Is No Beer

My mother told me about a funeral she attended yesterday. My father's colleague died of cancer.

"It was strange," she said. "So cold, sad." Well, what did she expect? It's a funeral.

The family, she told me, wasn't even religious and it was strange to see them going through the motions. The funeral directors where disturbingly friendly.

It's funny how people deal with death. Some like cold ceremony, maybe to quiet their own turmoil or grief. A minority, at least in the U.S., like a lot of wailing, crying, etc. And an even smaller minority use the opportunity to throw a party celebrating -- depending on how religious -- the person going to "a better place" or being a crazy bastard/ alcoholic.

The funeral of my friend was cold and Lutheran with a touch of wailing which I found refreshing. But we had an after party with booze and dancing because in life, he was a crazy bastard.