It was a very sedate, solemn time when a family was grieving. Then came time for the actual funeral. The limos from the funeral home pulled up, and Deb's parents and seven other brothers and sisters and attendant spouses piled in. As we drove to the church, I noticed cars on both sides of the street pulling over to the side of the road. Oh, that's what happens here.
People pull over out of respect.
In New York City, you're lucky if people don't honk at you because you're going too slow. Heck, you're lucky if they don't run you off the road, or flip you the bird because you're driving with your lights on during the day. A lovely ceremony, followed by a brief graveside prayer, and everyone heads back to the church for dinner. There, a lot of laughter, talk of Ben and how he was as a child and the pranks he would pull, and good cheer. It is the way a funeral ought to be.