Funeral Processions

Weird name for a blog post right? Hear me out.

Today I went to a friend’s house for dinner and I was just a couple of miles away from home when I was being met by a funeral procession. Now keep in mind that I live 12 miles away from town and people are usually zooming right along on this road at 70 MPH. So I put on my flashers and pull halfway to the shoulder and stop. The closest traffic behind me is about a mile and a half back and they’re not stopping.

Which is honestly one of my biggest pet peeves. From a very young age, I was taught to always pull over and pay respects whether you knew them or not. I’ve always gotten so angry when people don’t pull over and show respect. This was concreted more when Nanny died. Because to me a big part of my world had just been taken away from me so why couldn’t people be bothered to stop for five minutes and show respect?

So today it just hit me wrong I guess. I was far enough in the lane that people couldn’t pass me even if they wanted to. I had quite a line behind me when the procession was over and I’m sure they all were cursing me by the time it was over with, but I really didn’t care. As I sat there watching car after car go by, I just started to cry. Remembering how it felt to see the policeman stand there at the corner to the cemetery at attention saluting out of respect for those of us who had lost someone so special to them. The thought of anyone being angry about my self-centeredness kills me, so I make extra effort to not do that.

It’s a random blog post, I know, but it’s what’s on my mind, so here it is.

And for God’s sake, if you’re one of those people who don’t stop for processions, it’s time to start. It doesn’t take much time or effort and everyone on the other side will appreciate the respect.