The House of Mourning I’m not a fan of funerals. It is an opportunity to see family, but it would be nicer to gather for a different occasion. I don’t get all that much comfort in knowing that I may not see some folks much in this life, but they will show up at my funeral. I’ve never really liked the open casket thing, although I’ve been told it’s a vital practice in saying good-bye. It does illustrate, however, that our bodies are just a shell, and who we truly are is something quite different. Commemorating someone’s life, saying good-bye, and celebrating their transition into eternity is entirely appropriate and important to those left behind. We do it and we should. It has been said that nothing is certain in life but death and taxes. Solomon told us, It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart (Ecclesiastes 7:2). There’s something about death, the f