My grandfather, my mother's father, died over twelve years ago. I don't remember everything clearly about his death and funeral but I do remember several things distinctly. My grandfather chose to be buried in his everyday clothes. So he was dressed in blue jeans and a plaid flannel button down shirt. He also chose to have a closed casket funeral. You see my grandfather died of lung cancer so he was able to make choices for such an occasion because of the forewarning that his sickness provided.
I think however that these two choices speak a lot about who my grandfather was. He didn't want to be dressed in a suit because he never wore one. He didn't want to ever be anything other than himself. He was Vernon Maurice "Rock" Putnam. A retired military man from South Carolina. He was true to himself to the very end and I think that is very valuable in a world full of facades. He chose to have a closed casket service on the statement "they should have come to see me when I was alive." I think this non-traditional viewpoint however, is very valid. We should take the time to be a part of people's lives while we have the chance. It is the living person that is important. It does no good to look at a dead body because you can't change anything then. So, I urge you to invest in people while you have the opportunity. This is not limited to a physical death either. People may be taken out of your life physically by a move to live in another place or they may simply become hardened to whatever you might have to say or do to or for them.
It might just be that on a day in May, a life will slip away. Just like my Papa Rock.
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