Over Our Heads



My mother's memorial service was yesterday. The event was attended chiefly by family as she'd reached an age where most of her friends had long passed on. I mention this because during the eulogy the pastor paused during his awkward mad-libs of random events in my mother's life, standard operating procedure of the funerary business in these parts, and asked if any of us would like to share a story or anecdote about our beloved Mumsy. I was not surprised that no one moved or raised a hand as we, her family, all knew the stories and, to be frank, they were none of this guy's business. To be sure, there are stories of my mother, and father, that need to be told but that's for another day and another medium.



After the ceremony the larger proportion of us caravanned to a local barbeque joint where we occupied a respectably vast swath of tables, then proceeded to alternately reminisce and correct one other about family lore for far longer than was probably acceptable by the management.



Eventually I was chauffered back to the funeral home, where I'd left my car, and as I was reaching for my keys I noticed a small building behind the chapel marked "Crematory". From its chimney a clear, hot bolus of gas was furiously roiling into the sky. Without doubt I was witnessing my mother's transition from one physical plane of existence to another as she rejoined the cosmos.



Many people are uncomfortable with the idea of cremation but it pleased me to know that at least some of my mother's atoms were now free to participate in the vast mystery of the universe rather than remain trapped forever in an earthen tomb.



Good travels, mom. And thanks for the DNA.



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By a wonderful coincidence, Dan Piraro of "Bizarro" fame, ran a cartoon today that 's eerily similar to mine. He gets major props for having drawn his version a few weeks ago. Click for a larger version.







For the record, ah LUVS me some Bizarro and the funny pages are going to be a much emptier place when Dan kills the strip, which should be just abut any day now. Sigh.



=Lefty=



