Death: The Final Frontier
William Shatner opened Star Trek with “Space: The Final Frontier . . . “
Whenever I hear about someone dying, I think, “Death: The Final Frontier.”
Is death the final frontier, or is death a doorway to somewhere else? Will death take us to Dan Creed’s Chevy Town, Buffalo, New York?
Death has been on my mind lately because of the recent deaths of several friends. I am at an age where my contemporaries are checking out.
How and when will I die? Do I want to know? Methinks not. Methinks I would like to be surprised suddenly.
I know some people who will be angry when I die. They will see me as selfish and inconsiderate because I did not give them any notice of my death. “Who does he think he is dying suddenly? We have lives and are busy! He should have given us more notice if he wanted us to attend his funeral.”
That is okay. These people do not agree with the choices I made in my life. They have never let me hear an end of their disapproval; thus, they will not approve of my death. I know that they are doing the best they can with the awareness that they have. I am dealing with their lack of understanding, and will hold no grudges.
Funerals are a way for the living to work through their grief and get closure. I made sure that I threw dirt on both my parents’ graves after their coffins were lowered into the ground. I found this action cathartic. It was a way of saying, “I love you. Goodbye.”
So many funerals leave the coffin above ground after the gravesite service. The coffins are lowered into the grave later when no one is around. This left me feeling incomplete. Where is the closure?
As for my funeral? It will be up to those I leave behind. I will not care what they do. I have told them that they can do whatever makes them feel comfortable—even if they want to give me an Orthodox Jewish funeral. I will not care because I will be at Dan Creed’s Chevy Town negotiating the price for a car.
I have one stipulation: no flowers. Instead of flowers, people can send or bring bouquets of bananas. This is my only wish.
My friends who checked out recently are John Ikeno, Patti Davidson, and Jimmy Holker. To them I say, “Godspeed.”
