Thursday 4 March 2010

A coffin in Paradise

With a colorful backdrop of plants, animals and naked men my Farmor's coffin stood adorned with her favorite flowers, red and pink roses. A long line of men and women dressed in black approached the coffin to say their final goodbyes to their mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. Most of them with tears in their eyes, some with the hint of a smile, but all with a somewhat confused look on their face.

Farmor's funeral service was held in a small church in Ljungby. It's adorned with wall paintings by a famous local artist depicting Paradise in a vey playful way. You might even mistake it for the work of a child. Vibrant colors, monkeys the same size as elephants and polar bears next to kangaroos. At the very center is a semi-nude man (who I assume to be Jesus) in an oval shape (very much resembling the female gender) perched in an apple tree. There is also an anatomically correct stark naked man next to this tree who I assumed to be Adam (I kept looking around for Eve, but she was nowhere to be found). In front of all this stood the priest dressed in black, with a solemn look on his face, among bouquets of condoleances and a coffin made of oak.

This ambiguous atmosphere set the tone for the ceremony and the reception. It was a beautiful ceremony with a comical twist. A sad day with moments of laughter. A day of mourning Farmor but also to cherish the reunion of our family. It was good. And if Farmor looked down at us she would have had a great big smile on her face.

10 comments:

  1. I'm happy to hear that it was a beautiful, memorable service. Genuinely sorry for Farmor's passing... All my best to you...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sounds like it was a perfect time for honoring her memory. Love the description of the art and setting - very intriguing.

    I'm sorry for your loss. *hug*

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm sure she did my friend. Big hugs, Fran

    ReplyDelete
  4. This sounds like the perfect way to say goodbye to her. {hugs}

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thoughts and prayers to you and your family!!! What a beautiful description.

    ReplyDelete
  6. with a tear and a smile, what beautiful contrasts. Kangaroo and polar bear, and hopefully the end of one life is the beginning of a new one...
    hugs (and smiling through my tears)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Happy sad day! I know the feeling! When my Farmor died six yrs ago, it was a relief and sad moment all rolled into one. The Farmor I knew was already pretty much gone, but about a week or so before she passed, on one of my rare visits to Sweden, she was crystal clear and knew who I was. I was so grateful for that moment of clarity it made all the difference.
    I couldn't hold back a chuckle when I read your account about the art in the church! My Farmor would have thought it funny too!
    Hope skater is behaving! Hugs, Louise

    ReplyDelete
  8. What a beautiful description, and I bet your Farmor would have had a big smile on her face to see you all together. May she rest in peace.

    ReplyDelete
  9. It sounds as beautiful as a funeral can be. Glad there was some joy in the sorrow.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I had to read the first sentence of your post twice. Naked men? Fer reals? How funny! And sad. All at the same time.

    Having recently lost my own grandma, I know how sad it is. I'm glad the reunion brought you joy.

    ReplyDelete

Talk to me. Hug me. Spank me. Whatever, just comment.