The Ironies of Death and the Funeral

By Jerry Brown

When we consider the PAIN that cascades upon us with the death of one beloved and the catharsis that THE FUNERAL evokes, it is a study in absolute irony.

Since the dawn of humankind and in every global culture and society, DEATH is the common denominator of PAIN. PAIN in the forms of shock, disbelief, denial, sorrow, loneliness and profound despair. Then wondrously, out of the darkest corridors of hopelessness and debilitating grief, THE FUNERAL activity and ceremony begin to OPEN – THE DOORS of acceptance, hope and YES celebration for the life that has been lived with love, purpose, understanding and elegance.

DEATH and the FUNERAL – not a contradiction but a bitter-sweet synergy of LIFE!

T’was the Month Before Christmas
by
Jerry J. Brown

The air is crisp. The days are short. Snowfall is sporadic. Blinking lights and plastic Santas seem to magically emerge, light up and stoically await the New Years day and back-in-the-box time. Retail prices set discount records and bell-ringers seem to suffer from severe tennis elbows.

Vacant-eyed shoppers shuffle through malls like mesmerized mice. “Politically correct” holiday singers twitch in unison when the carol’s lyrics include the word “Christmas,” and the season is suddenly metamorphosed from “peace-on-earth” to “my 401K is now, 201Z.

Economic miseries notwithstanding, the radiant spirit of Christmas imbues a profound sense of hope, cultural purpose and commitment among all of us. For over 200 years, the indomitable essence and spirit of our American culture has prevailed. IT SHALL AGAIN.