Morbid Thoughts

My friend, Kristal is developing an interesting habit: she calls me whenever someone dies.

Kristal is not just calling for sympathy and a hug. Oh no, she has a very particular agenda.

Kristal lost her mum last year, and now her mother-in-law, Ellen, has passed away. Kristal looked after her until the last little bit, when she went into a hospice. She was so aware of giving Ellen her dignity, even at the end, when she had to change the bed multiple times each day. Finally, Kristal had to call an ambulance to have Ellen moved to the hospice. Firefighters showed up, too, and helped to carry her out (she was quite heavy). It was a sad time; everyone knew that Ellen was leaving for good, and would be dying very soon. But even then, Kristal was thinking about dignity and infused humour into the situation by asking the firefighters to take off their shirts so Ellen could admire their physique! And Ellen actually had a good laugh, despite the difficulty she was experiencing.

Within 24 hours, she had passed away.

(Ellen in her younger days)

So, the reason why Kristal calls me at such times is that I seem to be the slideshow maker. I did a slideshow for her mum's funeral, and have just finished Ellen's. I never met her, but after all the hours I've spent with her, I feel that I'd know her anywhere. From little girl to young woman to elderly lady, I've seen all the photos.

When I pass away (such a morbid thing to ponder...), who will make my funeral slideshow? How will they find all the important photos? Who will scan the old prints? Will they know that the good ones from my childhood are all in a box? And that others are mixed together somewhere else? (Oh dear, I really need to organize my cluttered life!) What songs will they use? What kinds of captions will they put on the photos?

Sigh. It's not too fun to think about, but there's one really important thing to know. I do not want to be buried in a huge enormous cemetery with manicured lawns; a quiet little country graveyard is just perfect for me. And I've always thought that a beautiful coffin is a waste of money. A basic plywood box will work just fine. But by then, I don't think I'll really care.

I don't make a habit of obsessing like this, but I'm sure you can understand...