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Saturday, January 28, 2006
continuing with the theme. also, my funeral.
Today we meant to go to a car show (hey, nothing is boring when the family and THE NIKON are around), but the NWS thought it looked like rain, so we went thing-shopping instead. You know, thing-shopping, where you don't have a list exactly but you have this sense that in spite of the fact that you are already incapable of putting away all your belongings in your house, there are things you need to buy. Things like a bigger toolbox for gunsmithing supplies, and a set of shelves to organize stuff in the laundry room, and picture frames, and casual-dressy shoes, and ... things. On the way to Thing-Mart, we passed a Toys R Us that was closing and stopped in for the clearance sale, emerging with a sort of appetizer sampler of Things -- including the Book Lovers' Edition of Trivial Pursuit, which I couldn't pass up at $7 even though I'm not sure who'll ever play it with me.
Then we came home and had an evening-long struggle to get C to put away the Things she already had. This process is even more depressing because of the absolute certitude with which I can state that within two weeks -- probably sooner -- there will be no sign that we ever did anything. That said, We're trying a new motivator. A dollar from Grandpa every time he came over and the room was clean stopped working after about the second visit. Now if her room's not passable when Daddy gets home from work, she loses an armload of toys for as long as Daddy sees fit. We can't just do the hip-parent thing and say "hey, it's your room, close the door and I don't care what it looks like in there," because we have to go through her room to get to the laundry room or to LT's room. Which last is actually against housing code, so actually we have to go through her room to get to the room where we store a bunk bed and where LT happens to occasionally sleep. Um, yeah. Not to mention that within a week she'd never be able to find clothes, or possibly to leave her bed, if she wasn't expected to clean it at all.
Also, just so you know I'm not an imposter, I will tell you that this afternoon I managed to break a 36"x45" sheet of anti-glare frame glass, when I decided to un-mount the Titanic poster that we had framed years ago in a haze of midlife-crisis-preview Titanic mania (we watched it after Natalie died and it resonated with us in some very interesting but short-lived ways). I figured that now that I know how to mat and mount pictures and have the necessary equipment, we'd use the frame for something else. Whoops. Guess we'll be buying a sheet of acrylic for that. It was satisfying, though, to set the quite-large remnants on top of a trash can and smash them to smithereens (carefully, so that said smithereens fell into the trash can and not around it) with a piece of pipe. I needed that.
After all that (just typing about it, let alone living through it) I'm exhausted and ready for bed, but I wanted to oblige Jenn and do a little thing she put up in one of her (dazzling array of) blogs. The idea is that I'm supposed to write about my funeral and my will. Morbid maybe, but anything for a friend. :)
1) My funeral: really I don't care much; I won't be there. The funeral's not for me, it's for the people I leave behind. So other than the fact that I want someone (my kids maybe? or the whole group?) to sing this one particular gospel hymn ("I'll Meet You In The Morning"), and that I want the gospel given loud and clear by someone who loves me and Jesus both (I know where I'll be; I want everyone else to hear at least once how to get there too), my survivors can set things up however they see fit.
2) My earthly remains: I'm torn re:cremation vs. burial. Cremation is tidier and more efficient (and cheaper); however, burial provides a grassy place where my family can go to remember me if they want to. So again -- whatever they want is fine with me. I won't be in that body anymore.
2) My will, specifically the 'to such a person I leave such a thing' part. Ech. I don't have a lot of special Things, and I'd probably want them (my books, my cameras, my flute maybe, my photos) to go to my kids and husband, with the understanding that they were free to give things away if they didn't want them and someone else did. Again, once I'm gone, I don't care, but I don't want people to fight or have their feelings hurt. So what I'd probably specify is the order in which people were to go through my belongings and take things they want. I dunno.
And on that cheery note, I'm taking my tired old bones to bed. Can you hear me creaking?
Comments
LOL, well you've made me feel like I wasted four hours writing my funeral requirements. I don't know why but I guess I feel a need to get people to do things my way at least once even if that means it won't happen till after I'm dead. Just me trying to feel vindicated - even from the grave - before I've even gotten there. Your entry was humbling, to say the least...Whether you intended that or not. I feel like a total creep now. I also wanted to tell you I envy you so much in that you know where you are going when you die. I mean, I know some pretty faithful Christians and even THEY don't know for sure...They *hope* they make it to heaven but really just aren't sure if they are good enough. I have no idea personally...I suppose knowing in your heart that God will find you worthy after you die might be the reason you sleep so well at night ;-) I'm very happy for you that you have that confidence and I wish everyone had it. I liked your post today..."Thing-Mart," and all that...Very funny...I needed a good laugh, thanks!
Posted by: jenn at January 29, 2006 04:38 PM
I just bought that game as well, despite the dearth of opponents, and I would so totally play over IM with you sometime.
Posted by: Kat with a K at January 29, 2006 07:41 PM
Oh yeah, and that is so cool about Trivial Pursuit for books! I had no idea that even existed...I too would play with you.
Posted by: jenn at January 29, 2006 09:33 PM
