Death

In the past two weeks I was in two events around death.

First my cousin died; we were born one month apart, then a second cousin died, I am older than her.

I hadn't seen them in over ten years. I don't feel the loss of somebody I see every day. I had good times with them though, and feel fraternal love for them.

I went this weekend to my mother's hometown for my cousin's funeral. She was an only child, and both her parents are dead. I don't know her husband, nor her children; she left three. I was late for the funeral and I spent my time with my relatives I know well. They talked to me about her. Her death was not nice, her final years were sad. It is a small town, and people noticed that she was not well.

I talked to my nephew; an intelligent man, that took care of gruesome details a few years back when other relatives died in that small town. He saw the remains of my long dead relatives, because they have the costume of opening tombs in that town, to accommodate new "tenants".

The way he described what he saw, made me want to be taken care of when the time comes, as my father requested.

His ashes were thrown in, in a river near his hometown.

I know I won't see anything, but I don't want my descendants to see what my nephew saw.