Mom was proud of making all her funeral arrangements. She even wrote her own obituary. However, she didn't write much of an obit for herself. I emailed it around to various relatives and they were all sad that Mai's own obit was so skimpy. The task fell to me to amp it up. Basically, I rewrote the whole thing and double it in size while also finding a much more suitable photo. It received very good reps for those who reviewed the draft version. Today, I've received some nice comments from various people who have read it. I wish I could have written more but you wouldn't dare imagine what little I did write actually cost. I can't believe this myself but it is true. The newspaper charged $350 to print what little I wrote. Back in teh day when I was actually in the newspaper business, we did obituaries for free and prided ourselves on their great length, depth and quality of compassion. Now? Not so much. It's a different and much more corporate world these days. There isn't even anyone at the newspaper who is capable of writing an obituary, much less someone who actually WANTS to write an obituary. All obituaries must be written and submitted by the family or by a ghost writer (pun intended). Back in the day, young pup Cub Reporters were always started out writing obituaries--that's how they could separate the wheat from the chaff. Kids who did real well writing obituaries had honest potential. Back in the day, you could spot a great budding writer simply by how they handling the lowly task of obituary writing. Personally, I thrived on writing obits and some of them ran to a full page when I owned the newspaper and could do as I pleased. Well, if they charged me $350 for today's obit, I reckon a full page obit could have bought the farm (pun intended).
Tomorrow, another deadline (pun intended) looms ahead. I must finish her eulogy early in the day in time to be printed for distribution at the Thursday services. No rest for the (.....). Note, you can fill in your own term there between the parenthesis. Back on Saturday I said I felt like a twig in a torrent. Today that got upgraded to a twig in a tsunami. By Thursday, I strongly suspect it's going to be a twig in a tornado. Suffice to say there's been no time for Happy Hours and camp fires are a distant memory--both literally and figuratively. As we mentioned to Goatherder in an email tonight--there time for only one primary task and that is to Stand & Deliver. Although we are certain we shall prevail, we are nevertheless quite curious as to how all of the details of this carefully choreographed and wildly expensive American ritual are going to play themselves out. I apologize for not putting up more stuff here on the blog. The spirit, heart and intent are willing and there's been no lack of interesting stories to tell--there simply hasn't been enough time.
And on that note, we must run along--still more to do this evening. Have a great night & Many Cheers, jp
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