Wakes and Funerals

I went to Mrs. Bassett's wake today. I purposely got there about 10 minutes before the wake started because I knew it would be packed. There were probably about 30 people ahead of me waiting to pay respect. The line moved quickly and I was in and out in about 30 minutes. When I left, the line was incredibly long, much longer than when I got there. While there, a few questions popped into my head. Why is a wake called a wake? The person we are paying respect to is dead, not awake. I know, probably a horrible thing to think about. Why do people buy so many flowers? Although they are beautiful, they eventually die. In the Jewish community, you do not buy flowers for a funeral because when the flowers die, it reminds the person of the deceased. I think people should take the money they would have spent on flowers and donate it to a cause the deceased person would like. I donated money to the American Cancer Society in Mrs. Bassett's memory. Why is the root word of funeral fun? They are clearly not fun at all. They say that the best forms of family reunions are weddings and funerals. Unfortunately that is very true. That's typically when the entire family gets together and sees one another. Mrs. Bassett will be laid to rest tomorrow. I will not be going to the funeral because I feel that is for much closer friends and family. She will be missed by everyone but the memories people have of her will last forever.