A funeral with style?

This week has been a hard week all the way around! One of my coworkers' husband passed away, not unexpectedly. While they had time to prepare emotionally, are you ever really ready? I don't think so. Especially when that person leaves loose ends, so to speak. I attended the funeral, and while it was honestly quite fun, (it was very interactive and members of the crowd were making comments in agreement such as, praise Jesus and Amen!) I was not used to a funeral with such theatrics. it was a funeral with STYLE!

Of course I have to go all contemplativey on you...be forewarned! Going through the grieving process for a loved one, or just thinking about going through the eventual big road trip into the sky, makes me grateful for my own belief system. I heard an avowed athiest say over the radio waves say that he thought religious beliefs were for the broken masses of people who cant find their own inner strength. While I LOVE listening to his show, and in general agree with a vast number of his opinions(or at least closely to them), I found it sad that he would go through life without the smallest measure of wonder/greatness/humility that a belief in God would give you. Regardless of whether a person follows an organized church or finds their own way to their belief system, having that little light inside you can make all the difference. Sitting in that funeral, I thought about what I believe and am so greatful that I not only get to be with my family here on earth, but with them forever, if I choose to be so. Thinking about what difficult things I have in my life(and we all have at times), having a perspective that what happens here isn't the end, and that life and learning and love get to pass with us, make me feel...safe and precious...like I have worth just because of who I am(a child of God), as well as what I may do in this life.