A Three-Week Funeral
Death is uncomfortable
I wish I could have the same attitude about death that many of the people of the Philippines have.
My wife’s aunt died a few weeks ago. She had started feeling unwell, and in being checked at the hospital, found out she had cancer. The time she found out she was sick, to the time she died was short. It is almost like once she realized that she was going to die; she slipped away quickly.
Maybe she didn’t have any reason to live.
I didn’t know Flora’s Tita well. I had been to her house and driven her a few places, but because of the language barrier, we never were friendly.
Without speaking ill of the dead, Tita didn’t leave behind much of a legacy. She didn’t have kids, and from the stories I’ve heard, wasn’t the kindest person.
But, death absolves all, and now that she is gone, her family is rallying around.
Death is a big deal
After Tita died, she was put in a coffin and placed on display in her house. She has been there for two weeks and will still be there for another. I’m told this was necessary because the priest was not available (lots of people dying). But, from what I understand, this is not a weird situation. People often lay in state for weeks here in the Philippines.
