So Long, Mama
The dreaded time came so very fast-- my Mother's funeral. September 30, 2007 was the hardest day of my life. I sobbed as men carried my Mother's coffin out of the house. This would be the last time that she would enter or exit the house, ever. The funeral march began at 1:30PM. Joseph and I, along with my family and friends marched behind the hearse carrying my mother's coffin on the way to the (Catholic) church. We were walking in the middle of the roadway and proceeded at a snail's pace. Along the way, people passing us tossed peso coins (by the hearse) from their vehicles. This is a Filipino practice that has folkloric origins to it. People here believe that it is bad luck to pass by a funeral march while driving, and that tossing coins would break the curse and prevent the vehicle from having any accidents on the road. At the church, we found out that we were the 3rd in line. There was another funeral mass going on inside, and another one waiting before us. Somehow,...