I don't know much about funeral protocol. It was so weird going to 's. I did, however, get to meet a bunch of people as a result. Dan's dad is amazingly cool.
I didn't think I would get up and say anything, but Becky went up there, and she (perhaps knowingly, perhaps unknowingly) ended with a story that gave me an opening to continue partially. I went up there. I only remember bits and pieces of what I said up there, but evidently, it was incredibly well recieved. I talked to almost every member of the americorps crew afterwards, and they all told me how great it was, and the leader guy gave me an americorps shirt. I thought that was incredibly awesome of them. I guess I'm a better public speaker than I thought.

Anyway, I don't know where to begin, and today was such a rush. I took a picture or two with my cameraphone but I don't want to post them at the moment, partially due to what I percieve to be the emotional impact of the photos, partially due to not having the time or energy to do it.

I do have to say, that it was probably the most fitting funeral I've ever attended. Dan couldn't have designed it better if he planned it himself, methinks.

On a semi-ironic note, Dan wanted to be an EMT. I think I actually missed my midterm practical for first responder training today. There's irony in there, I'm just too tired to articulate it.

Oh, and my work totally rocks. I have said it before, but I'm saying it again. (I only wish Dan were around to talk to about it, because I know he'd get a kick out of what I'm doing.)

2 thoughts on “”

  1. dankaye

    I don't even know how I got here, but I'm grateful for the notice Paul put on his telco site.

    When Dan was 23, one of his closest friends, Allison, died suddenly. Allison was sweet, but slightly odd. Dan went to her funeral, and heard a minister say all kinds of nice things about her. He was upset because none of them were true.

    So he said, "no bullshit. Even if the best someone can say is 'He was an asshole', fine if it's true."

    A lot of people said a lot of things, most of them funny. A lot of us have heard from Dan- in dreams or a feeling that he's around. He forced me to change my calendar and look at the date, and then schedule the funeral for 6/6/6.

    I hope the funeral was healing for all. And thanks for saying I was cool.

    Dan Kivel Sr.
    kivel1@comcast.net

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