Tuesday, August 20, 2019

41. Paint it black.

At yesterday's funeral for a friend's 99-year-old mother, most friends wore black (most of the women wore black pants and dark tops) Thinking white was religious, respectful and that the slipping away at home of a 99-year-old was cause for respect without deep despair, I wore a white blouse over a navy top and a white skirt—opting for a more formal look than was afforded by the many sporty black clothes I had available. (To my own very elderly mother's funeral Mass, I wore a simple black dress crocheted by her mother many years ago.)

According to shallow online research, the key word is "respect." The key look is to avoid anything that calls attention to oneself (too revealing, shiny, colorful). An interesting note is that "historians believe the tradition of wearing black at funerals dates back to at least the time of the Roman Empire. The ancient Romans would wear a dark toga, known as a toga pulla, to mourn the loss of a loved one." The same Wonderopolis article refers to England's Queen Victoria, who wore black to funerals "to show dignity and respect for those in mourning"—which, perhaps doesn't count, given that she always wore black after the death of her beloved Prince Albert.

But again, the key word is respect. Also, the key is to be there to give support.



(For August 20, 2019)






The above is more a set of notes than a story. Perhaps it's a trend. Every podcaster, writer, artist, designer, you-name-it is a storyteller . . . except, at the moment, myself. At some point, these caterpillars of squibs may morph into butterflies, with deeper thoughts and insights.

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