The Ultimate Last Laugh

As a general “social rule”, funerals are not funny. They are a celebration of a life that has ended…….

But,

I have away to find humor in everything. It’s a gift.

I wrote a post once about my involvement in a funeral.

My Wife’s ex-husband’s mother passed away. I was asked to be a pall bearer and was involved in the arrangements and such. The link is listed below…so you know what you are getting into…

Funeral Music

That was then….
_______________

A few weeks ago, I was blessed to go to a funeral for the son of an AA friend of ours. Their 17 year old son lost his life after a galliant and long battle with a cancerous brain tumor. It seemed like the entire high school was there to pay respects to the young man. It was very touching.

After the church service, we all got into our cars and followed the family to the gravesite for the final service.

We live in a small town in Texas….the final service was at a cemetary in an even smaller town. As we travelled down the just off the highway gravel road to our destination, I noticed that signs of basic civilization were getting farther and farther behind us. As we passed a few broken down covered wagons I said to my wife,

“This road reminds me of a scene from every horror movie ever made, where the group of friends travels to a cabin in the middle of nowhere and they all get killed off one by one…”

She instinctively looked over at the gas gauge and replied,

“And that’s why I don’t watch those movies..”

After about 39 potholes, 6 right turns and 1 left turn, we reach the small cemetary at the top of the hill. We exit our vehicles and button up our jackets to protect us from the 30 degree weather.

We walk up to the area the service will be at and stand amongst the 200 or so people that are there. The pall bearers are waiting patiently at there marks behind the hearse, awaiting the driver to open the back.

But where is the driver?………..

He would be the one trying to break into the front of the hearse with a slim jim.

He locked the keys inside the car…..

I look at some of my shivering AA buddies and dryly say,

“Best funeral ever……the driver cant get the coffin out..” and let out a chuckle.

“You can’t be serious?” one of them says as they finally see what I was talking about. “What is this his first day?’

“Probably his last.” Another replies.

As more of the attendees are catching a glimpse of the fiasco, a female AA friend leans over to me and says,

“Hey, good2begone? Why dont you go help them out? I know you know how to break into cars…”

“Not a chance.” I reply

“Why not? It’s freezing out here!!”

“Look I don’t want to be known as the guy who broke into a hearse, before I got to AA I was known as the guy who hotwires ice cream trucks. It took me a long time to live that one down. No, I won’t do it.”

People began to look our way with odd looks on their faces.

“Hey, what can I say….I REALLY like ice cream…” I said to everyone in paricular.

“COME ON! You could be the hero!” she begged.

“Nope..There’s your hero.” I said and pointed to the guy approaching with the sledgehammer.

And with a couple of whacks from Thor’s Hammer, the coffin was released and the service was held.

As we returned to our vehicle we heard one of the family members say,

“You know he is laughing right now….a fighter to the end!”

About these ads