in the grand composition of life, funerals, shrouded not in sorrow but in the celebration of a journey completed, invite us to shut eyes to the coldness of departure, seeing instead a precursory passage to a new beginning. like a musician who pauses between movements to reflect, we gather, making gentle assessments of lives touched and lessons learned, ready to re-embark on life's symphony with a heart full of memories and a melody enriched by their existence.