August 23, 2023
“You attend the funeral, you bid the dead farewell. You grieve. Then you continue with your life. And at times the fact of her absence will hit you like a blow to the chest, and you will weep.”
—Neil Gaiman
During the first week of the semester, the professor explained to his public speaking class that there are three general purposes for a speech — to persuade, to inform and to mark a special occasion. To elaborate, he explained further that those special occasions included events such as commencement addresses, weddings, awards ceremonies and … funerals.
“Someday, you’ll all get one of the greatest honors in this life of delivering a eulogy when someone you know and love dies,” he said. Then, he explained that a eulogy is a speech you give at a funeral or memorial service in memory of someone who has died. You recall their qualities and the highlights of their life. In a short time, you have to capture “the essence of their life.”
He felt satisfied that he was preparing them for something they would inevitably do at some point … until he discovered that several of them had already delivered eulogies, even though they were unfamiliar with the term.
Yes, they spoke at the services for parents and grandparents, and even more tragically for their friends who had died in shootings, from drug overdoses, and suicides. The grief young people carry with them can be overpowering, and many of them aren’t given the guidance to work through it and be healed, so their wounds become a part of their lives.
***
Never think that a young person, who hasn’t experienced much of life, hasn’t already experienced the hardest part of life … the loss of a loved one.
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