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Morning Open Thread - The wake [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2023-12-07  

Morning Open Thread is a daily, copyrighted post from a host of editors and guest writers. We support our community, invite and share ideas, encourage thoughtful and respectful dialogue in an open forum.

My family had found a funeral home that allowed a body to return home (after embalming) to participate in a traditional wake. The family farm was not as big a space as we needed but was the place Uncle Robert had known all his life.

The bedroom was set up with chairs for pairs of people to sit with the body. Each adult was accompanied by a child. Stories of the person’s life were told to the child so memories could be passed on. Uncle Alton shared his tales of hunting raccoon and working the farm as a kid under the tutelage of Uncle Robert. Uncle Alton had taken me up the same hollows of the farm in search of coons also (it was our bond).

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After a while, Uncle Alton asked what I remembered about Uncle Robert. I didn’t have too much to say but remembered that he let me fill my pockets up with raw peanuts any time we passed the barn (that was important to me). I blurted out, “He always smelled like dirt!” I meant no disrespect but it was a fresh and lasting memory. Uncle Alton didn’t laugh but pondered a moment and said, “He had a spot on the bank of the creek where he liked to sit and fish. I know he kept a pint there and would spend long hours fishing, drinking and thinking.” “That is a good memory,” he added.

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The rest of the house was a hive of noise and movement. Every flat surface had food upon it and everyone was encouraged to eat and drink. When we rejoined the family I didn’t matter there was a dead body in the other room, our family had gathered to rejoice in life.

*

This final tune was played as Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth’s remains, left Scotland for the last time.

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