My aunt’s funeral was beautiful, touching, reverent, fitting. Following every Mass and graveside service in the village is the luncheon served in the school gymnasium by the ladies’ Altar Society.
My mom’s funeral was the first to reinstate the luncheon during covid, a proud tribute to her ability to bring people together. What’s so interesting and probably shocking to anyone who has never witnessed the meal, is the swiftness in restoring the gym to its former glory.
The priest prays over the meal and family, we form two lines, at least one hundred or more go through the self-serve tables. People eat, catch up with others, pay tribute to the family, and begin to leave approximately 60 minutes later. And then – out come the carts – and the family of the deceased begins stacking chairs and tables! It is speedy, efficient, and well-orchestrated. The gym is now ready for school activities. It has been this way for decades.
There is no sense in changing what works!