A Mixed Day

Today I attended the funeral of one of my nephews.  He was 59, the victim of a rare, punishing and painful disease.  He lived a good life but died a tough death.  The older I get the more I believe that a sudden death is better for the survivors than an extended period of a slow death.

My nephew was a staunch Catholic, so I thought I was prepared for the Requiem Mass, particularly since I've been to a few in recent months.  This was a different Mass.  There were the traditional hymns I had expected, however, there were three songs I did not expect in a Catholic church.  Two were what I was raised to believe were "Protestant' hymns: Morning Has Broken and Amazing Grace.  The third was the Beatles "Let It Be". Perhaps these songs were played because the church was relatively new, or so it seemed to me at least.  Or because it was located in a small town and right next door to the Congregational church. 

The nice part of the day was driving through rural Massachusetts.  The weather was gorgeous.  The traffic light.  The main streets fairly quiet, but people were doing their business. And I was listening to a wonderful compendium of Rogers and Hart songs.