Premium Essay

Funeral Narrative

Submitted By
Words 648
Pages 3
On May 25, 2016 at around 5 pm, at Gateway Church in Austinburg. It was a really warm, sunny day for it being May. Nothing had felt right. My mind was so foggy. It was the day I had to go to one of my best friends funeral. I didn’t know what to expect because i had never been to a funeral for anyone, not even any family member. I was in my car with my boyfriend driving, me in the backseat, and his friend Jaden beside me. As soon as we pulled up to the parking lot and parked, the car that had coincidentally parked next to us was the hearse. We got into the church, and it stenched like old people perfume. I did not know where to go.. It was a beautiful brown church, I had went there when I was younger. We kept walking and as soon as I seen my …show more content…
The first word i had said to his mom was “I”m so sorry, Devlin was an amazing person.” I couldn’t even come out with those words. I wanted to scream, cry, and run away. It’s like that feeling you get when you’re half asleep and your body shakes, and you wake up and forget everything in that moment. I felt like I was nothing. We sat down next to my two friends. I did not get up to go look at the casket for about a half hour, I didn’t even think it was real. Everyone was hugging everyone. People who i never thought that I would speak to again, I ended up speaking to them the most. The funeral directors seemed to play the saddest songs, the people who tried and go up to the stand to talk about Devlin insantly froze. It all seemed like it was a nightmare. I never cried that much or had the least amount of words to say, I was just in shock. I think the hardest part of the funeral was seeing his mom say goodbye to her son, and then shut the casket. At that point, my sneses kicked in and I really realized what was happening. It wasn’t a dream, It was happening. Someone who I grew to love over the years, was gone. However the most beautiful part of the whole ordeal, was when we went down to Lakeshore Park and letting off lanterns and balloons. Throughout that

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Kellie Schmitt's The Old Man Isn T There Anymore

...have very many similarities. In the next following paragraphs, I will be discussing the observations I have made from the story “The Old Man Isn’t There Anymore”, 1- Kellie Schmitt’s purpose in writing this travel narrative was to show the difference of what it was like to live in China compared to living in America. One difference is the living conditions. In China, most of the people live under one roof and the people that live with each other don’t know much about one another. However, they are comfortable around each other to the point that they walk around in pajamas, a t-shirt, or just shoes and underwear. In America people, do not see that very often and sometimes would call the cops; because, it is public nudity to just wear shoes and underwear. Also, there is multiple differences between what is done at and for funerals. Such as wearing a black swatch of cloth on the sleeve of their shirts to represent the relationship to that of the one who is deceased. Another difference that I read in the story was the color of the flowers that was given to the...

Words: 932 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Funeral Differences

...Funeral Traditions in America from Around The World America has many traditions, but one tradition that many don’t like to speak of is funerals. A funeral is when a loved one has passed and there is a celebration of life and put to rest, in this case with many traditions around the world there are different ways of remembering ones loved one when passing. America is a big continent where many people from around the world live in and bring their traditions with them and still continue them here, and one of those traditions is a funeral. To begin with one of the popular traditions that are regular to do in most places like in the article that Marian T. Horvat states is in the past, the funeral was held from the home or from funeral parlors. In the former case, rarely practiced in the United States today, the body was prepared to repose in the person’s own bed for twelve hours, during which time only family members were received to offer their last respects and prayers. After this the coffin was placed in the living room, and the bereaved family received condolence visits from friends and neighbors. As a point of honor and respect, the family made sure that at least one person kept watch over the deceased at all hours until the body was taken to the Church for the requiem Mass and then burial. The term wake came from this time of watch. The customs vary in each country, but in general, the deceased is laid out at the family home or the hospital chapel, often in an open coffin...

Words: 1545 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

A Combat Medics Cry for Help

...A Combat Medics Cry for Help Abstract In our lives we have experienced either personally, anecdotally or through the media of someone who has committed suicide, and being in the military is no exception. Even those that are trained to save lives can as well fall and never stand again. This paper describes my first experience receiving the dreadful call, one of my Combat Medics whom I will call SGT Medic, had committed suicide. The Soldiers’ cry for help and those who heard but did not listen to the warning signs of suicide. A Combat Medics Cry for Help Noncommissioned Officers (NCOs) are the back bone of the United States (U.S.) military. We are responsible for the training and leadership instilled in our Soldiers. This NCO had developed into an effective Combat Medic where his duty was to provide emergency medical treatment until further assisted. He lived his life helping others on and off the battlefield. This paper will provide an overview of an NCO Combat Medic battling his own internal daemons from the Iraq war that took away all that training instilled and the ability to adapt. In addition, this paper will give an example on how no matter the amount of training received, the amount of videos seen, numerous times hearing a Chaplain brief on Suicide Prevention there will come a time the warning signs are evident, and you will not react. The Call August 30th, 2015 approximately 19: 30 my husband and I were watching television, and in between commercials reading...

Words: 2271 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Final Rites of Passage

...of passage. There are many rites of passage during a human life leading up to the final rite of passage, which is death. Funeral and death rites are used to mark the passing of a loved one and to help the living cope with and understand the departure of that loved one. These rituals are very different from one culture and society to the next. In the United States, funerals and death rites are usually one day affairs with no further rites practiced. In Japan, funeral rites are much more ritualized and not only deal with death, they also deal with life after death. The lack of funeral and death rites in contemporary Western society can lead to disenfranchised grief as they may be insufficient in helping people cope with the loss of a loved one. Japanese culture marks aging with milestone birthdays that are celebrated to map the progression of aging to the final destination of death. In this paper I will be examining funeral and death rites and if they adequately help with the grieving process and the acceptance of death. I will be examining the funeral and death rites in the United States from an etic perspective and contrasting this examination with an emic perspective of the same rituals as they are practiced in Japan, to show that my cultures rituals are lacking in the tools to deal with grief and acceptance of death. I will be examining funeral and death rites in my own culture from an etic perspective. In order to do this I will have to step outside my culture and...

Words: 2268 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Mortuary Science

...Mortuary Science is the study of deceased bodies through mortuary work. Most people who study it usually become morticians or funeral directors. It teaches students everything about funerals business. Death is not about dreadful and horrifying aspects; it’s very important for the living and the deceased. Every human being at some point in time has to cope with death because death is unavoidable. Funeral homes take care of the remains and assist the families of the deceased. It’s very important to the grieving family to have proper closure their love one. They help the family and friends work through a terrible situation by consoling and comforting loved ones as they work to lay the deceased to rest. It’s also a time to remember and celebrate...

Words: 1548 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Personal Narrative: A Parent's Funeral

...The plane shook as it took off into the sky. Only to be shown a small part of Los Angeles before ascending into the clouds. Erin and Amber were still shaken up from their parent’s death only to be told 5 days ago. The funeral was full of tears dripping down cheeks, the sky was gray only starting to rain. Before their parent’s coffin descending into the ground, Erin and Amber gave their parent’s one last goodbye. Shaking off the memory of the funeral, Erin grabbed her notebook that she took everywhere. The pages filled with plants, flowers, and animals began to come alive. Across the room, Amber was pacing back and forth showing her anxiety to her little sister. As Erin walked in, she began to see the mess of clothes across the room. “I didn’t...

Words: 361 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Death Rituals

...this moment does come to pass, spiritual leaders or funeral directors are often called upon to provide professional and suitable services, as well as comfort to the grief-stricken family and friends. Mr. Diamond, a licensed funeral director, was interviewed. This paper will depict Mr. Diamond’s experience with families and dying person’s expectations. Moreover, unusual requests and to conclude, his ways of dealing with people knowing that death was forthcoming would be discussed and the reward from it. In order to understand Mr. Diamond’s position as a funeral director, the author first questioned him about his motives to want to fill his role in the many different inconsolable individuals’ life. Mr. Diamond responded with an uplifting spirit: “ I have worn many hats in my line of work (Mr. Diamond, 2011). He added that, unfortunately, after personally dealing with different funeral directors, he realized the need for well-informed people with a compassionate heart for families, all the while maintaining a business approach. Mr. Diamond proceeded to explain that he had to be a businessman, with very detail oriented mind and concerned with the financial aspect of the profession. The most important aspect of his occupation was being a grief counselor. At all times, he had to be readily available to different family’s needs and provide utmost comfort. Death Rituals 3 With that said, the writer went on to ask if as a funeral director if Mr. Diamond serviced all types of ethnic...

Words: 646 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Nelson Mandela

...30833 706 547-9764 Roxiewilliams108@yahoo.com Objective To obtain a position as a Front Desk Receptionist that uses my abilities as a communicator, and a leader Experience Funeral Home Attendant Freeman Funeral Home Answer the phone Drive funeral vehicles Carry flowers to funeral vehicle to transport To interment Offer assistance to mourners upon entering and Exiting out of the funeral home Arrange flowers or lights around the casket Greet and direct mourners Drivers License Examiner Department of Drivers Services Answer the phone The work involves conducting drivers...

Words: 276 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Sci Final Paper

...suggestion. Death Care Industry The death care industry in United States is a mature and low growth one whose performance heavily depends on the death number per year. We use the Five Force Analysis to measure the performance of the industry. Entry Barrier (Green) The entry barrier to the death care industry is high. Since the keys to succeed in the industry are personal relationships and reputation, which need quite a long period to build. These result in a low entry and failure rates for funeral homes. Buyer Power (Red) We think the buying power is pretty high. Customers can choose the sites and professional service items according to their preference. Besides, with only 1% estimated death increasing rate, companies in the industry may decrease their service price in order to attract limited customer resource. Supplier Power (Yellow) The major cost in funeral service is casket which the funeral homes need to buy from manufactures. But in recent years, traditional funeral is gradually replaced by cremation, resulting in...

Words: 3348 - Pages: 14

Free Essay

Death Rituals

...customs are being abandoned for today’s vision of praising the deceased. It can be stated that Christians are some-what celebrating the death of a loved one. A new pattern has developed drifting away from burial, moving towards cremation. Technically there is no set routine for a death, due to the fact that personal modifications and customs can change an arrangement. This new pattern is not firmly fixed (indeed, variations, improvisations and personal customizations are marks of the new rituals) but it generally includes the following characteristics: • a memorial service instead of a funeral (i.e., a service focused on remembering the deceased, often held many days after the death, with the body or the cremated remains of the deceased not present) (Thomas) • a brief, simple, highly personalized and customized service, often involving several speakers. (as opposed to the standard church funeral liturgies presided over primarily by clergy) (Thomas) • a focus on the life of the deceased (often aided by a physical display of photos and other mementos) (Thomas) • an emphasis on joy rather than sadness, a celebration of life rather than an observance of the somber reality of death. (Thomas) • a private disposition of the body, often done before the memorial service, with an increasing preference for cremation. (Thomas) Burying the dead is a corporal work of mercy because Christians care for the bodies of humans even though they are deceased. "The dead deserve as respectful a...

Words: 629 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Personal Narrative-Grandmother's Funeral

...some of my best memories were sad ones, like the day of my great-grandmother's funeral. all of us kids referred to her as nanny. she was the grandmother of my father. my dad's family doesn't celebrate funerals in the traditional way. while most people silently mourn their past loved ones,my father's family throws a huge party. everyone drinks and has a good time celebrating her life. my dad told me it was a blessing that she passed away. she was 86, and died in her sleep. he said it was the most peaceful way to go. silly as it sounds i remember hoping i could pass like that too, no pain and at peace. my nanny wasn't a huge part of my life, i saw her every couple of months for family gatherings but when she passed i wasn't sad. i remember...

Words: 593 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Analytic Essay

...Analytic Essay First Image: In this first image, to me, it looks like it is describing two soldiers who are getting ready to go off into battle. They are weary at first but get on the horses and ride off. Meanwhile, it looks as if the king is in the castle trying to pick out which style robe or fabric he would like to have next. Being shown to him by the seamster, with two behind him looking as well. Second Image: In the second image, I see a funeral service. There are people mourning on the part that is cut off. There are many people carrying the body away to where the burial would be. Usually they would carry it to the burial site and burn the bodies or they would be put in the ground. Then at the end it looks like a king sitting on his bed pointing at something. Third Image: In this third image, if you start from the left, it looks like on the top story, it is a king being asked to do something about a situation. In the bottom it looks like an elderly man is being taken care of because he is ill. Farther over, it looks like there are guards guarding a palace or church building with the royal family sitting inside and on the outside of the doors are people praising. Fourth Image: This whole image looks like it is men at work making boats. At the beginning, it looks like the men are giving commands. Father down they begin to chop down the trees for the boats. Then you see them carving the boat form out of the trees and then you see the boats being painted and finished...

Words: 509 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Tax Cases

...2015) Below are three tax research problems. You must complete two of the three research problems. Your analysis must be emailed to me no later than November 30, 2015. Completion of the problems makes up 50% of your internship grade. You must use the RIA Checkpoint database and correctly cite information from the Internal Revenue Code, Regulations, and tax court cases to support your conclusions. http://library.csuohio.edu/research/databases/index.html RESEARCH PROBLEM #1 Tranquility Funeral Home, Inc., your client, is an accrual basis taxpayer that sells preneed funeral contracts. Under these contracts, the customer pays in advance for goods and services provided at the contract beneficiary’s death. These payments are refundable at the contract purchaser’s request, pursuant to state law, anytime until the goods and services are furnished. Tranquility, consistent with its financial accounting reporting, includes the payments in income for the year the funeral service is provided. The IRS agent insists that the payments be prepaid income subject to tax in the year of receipt. Write a letter to Tranquility that contains your advice about how the issue should be resolved. The client’s address is 400 Rock Street, Memphis, TN 38152. RESEARCH PROBLEM #2 Esther owns a large home on the East Coast. Her home is surrounded by large, mature oak trees that significantly increase the value of her home. In August 2014, a hurricane damaged many of the trees surrounding...

Words: 517 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Tax Research Memo

...one thing will always be inevitable of your ending; you will die. In all ways of life people have come accustomed to the practice of funerals, also known as death rituals. It has become common nature all around the world that when a person dies a ceremony will be held most likely involving their closest friends, family, or neighbors. It is understood that you live and die, but what funerals provide is a peace that can come with the inescapable end. However has anyone ever really stepped back and examined why we really do these ceremonies or death rituals? If at first we can understand the origins of the traditions, we can then see how different societies go about recognizing different people, and how these practices have been altered over time in our day and age. Funeral practices are as old as the human race itself, and this is made obvious in information found on the Neanderthals from 60,000 B.C. The ritual of a funeral starts when a persons heart stops or breathing ceases classifying them as dead. The time followed after a person is declared dead consists of various treatments of the body, time for disposing of the remains, and a period of mourning for all who knew the person. Neanderthals are considered the first people to perform death rituals/ funeral practices. According to one scholar Max Gluckman the origins of the traditions of funerals started with the Neanderthals and was developed as a way to “secure certain blessings, and provide protection as well as prosperity”...

Words: 1018 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

American Funerals

...Funeral Shopping Tips Here are some tips to help you shop for funeral services: ●Compare prices from at least two funeral homes. Remember that you can supply your own casket or urn. ●Ask for a price list. The law requires funeral homes to give you written price lists for products and services. ●Resist pressure to buy goods and services you don’t really want or need. ●Avoid emotional overspending. It’s not necessary to have the fanciest casket or the most elaborate funeral to properly honor a loved one. ●Recognize your rights. Laws regarding funerals and burials vary from state to state. It’s a smart move to know which goods or services the law requires you to purchase and which are optional. ●Apply the same smart shopping techniques you use for other major purchases. You can cut costs by limiting the viewing to one day or one hour before the funeral, and by dressing your loved one in a favorite outfit instead of costly burial clothing. ●Shop in advance. It allows you to comparison shop without time constraints, creates an opportunity for family discussion, and lifts some of the burden from your family. 3 The FTC Funeral Rule The FTC enforces the Funeral Rule, which makes it possible for you to choose only the goods and services you want or need and pay only for those you select, whether you are making arrangements when a death occurs or pre-need. The Rule allows you to compare prices among funeral homes. The Rule does...

Words: 4472 - Pages: 18