Fit for purpose
By Richard Rawlinson ‘Whether they were lapsed Christians or non-believers such as me, what struck us all was that this ceremony met a deep need to have our emotions evoked and expressed. Believing in God was not the point. We just wanted the response to our own lives and to those of our friends to […]
When You Go
When you go When you go, if you go, and I should want to die, there’s nothing I’d be saved by more than the time you fell asleep in my arms in a trust so gentle I let the darkening room drink up the evening, till rest, or the new rain lightly roused you awake. […]
Butcher turned undertaker
Meet Nigel ‘The Undertaker’ Heydon, master-dartist, the one the big boys dread meeting in the first round. Why ‘Undertaker’? Because when he’s not at the oche he’s, yes, out burying the dead. He was formerly known as ‘The Butcher’ because before he became an undertaker he was, you guessed it, a butcher. Clearly it would […]
Roar deal
Midlands Co-op has announced the launch of its very own trike hearse. The Rocket, they call it. It’s fast, it “lets bike lovers choose a send-off in a style that mirrors the way they lived – not in a sidecar or trailer but on a custom-designed, built-for-speed motorcycle.” Whether or not this is this is […]
Quote of the day
“Medical training rarely deals with helping the dying patient find peace and comfort. In fact, most physicians are uncomfortable with the entire subject. I believe it is one of the most neglected aspects of medical care.” Dr Roger Bone, here.
Celebration of life
Crowds mourning the death of Kim Jong Il in North Korea this morning. According to the Korean Central News Agency: People from all walks of life are visiting statues of President Kim Il Sung in different parts of Pyongyang including Kim Il Sung University to express their greatest sorrow over the demise of Kim Jong […]
Reinventing ritual
Here is a long extract from the Sunday Times article by Jenni Russell about the necessity for, and power of, ritual. I went to an astounding funeral last month. Philip Gould, the pollster who helped to create new Labour, died in November. He knew he was dying and he knew just how he wanted to […]
Quote of the day
“I do think people need ritual, and probably particularly funerals. Because no one wants to be told, “Okay, you have a dead relative. Go bury him someplace.” They want to know that something will kick in now. It will be taken out of my hands, and everyone will know what to do.” Christopher Hitchens
Perfection Wasted
And another regrettable thing about death is the ceasing of your own brand of magic, which took a whole life to develop and market— the quips, the witticisms, the slant adjusted to a few, those loved ones nearest the lip of the stage, their soft faces blanched in the footlight glow, their laughter close to […]
Hail and farewell to the Mystery Mourner
Inspired by the format of Come Dine With Me, Guardian commenter BaddHamster is “currently developing a variation on the theme called, Come Pine With Me, where four recently bereaved people take turns visiting each others’ funerals and rating each other on the booze, grub, style of coffin, service, general mourning etc…” It’s a nice idea, and […]
