HW 49

For this post I interviewed only my mother. I would've interviewed my father had circumstances been ideal, but I did not and won't go into why. Suprisingly, my mother had a lot to say about the topic, it seemed as though she had already thought about it. She told me that she considers herself a traditionalist, she thinks "it's all about the ceremony and prayer", and that funerals are very important because they "signify closure". My mother grew up around funerals, they were a big to-do in Ireland when she was growing up, and coming from a town where everybody knows everybody it's safe to assume she attented quite a few of them. When my mother was growing up in Ireland religion was stressed and so religious funerals were in abundance. They were very personal and the wakes were often held at home. My mothers remembers going to her grandfather's wake in his own home where his casket was in his bedroom. I presume that when a wake is in the house of the loved one it evokes strong feelings. What I thought was odd though, was that my mother wants to be cremated, which contradicts her being a self-proclaimed 'traditionalist'. When I asked her why she wanted to be cremated, she responded "I don't want to go in the ground at all. I want my ashes to be spread." It's interesting that she doesn't want a normal religous funeral, seeing as she is very familiar with them and thinks they hold importance. When I asked her what she thinks about being at the grave she said  "It is very final when the coffin goes into the ground, and it hits you that you're never going to see that person again." I've been to a funeral with my mother and know we were both feeling the same way - really really sad. And I sort of agree with her cremation choice, because if I had to look at my mother in a casket, and watch the coffin lower into the ground I wouldn't be able to take it. This unit is going to be really depressing.