Tamar,

>Personally, I think a good funeral includes both tears and laughter. The eulogy should evoke memories of the person, including the good times.

AbsoLUTEly. A close friend here died recently, and we held a "Celebration of Life" - not the typical funeral...and it was wonderful. people got up and told stories, memories, sang songs, read poems written for her. The variety was amazing...Buddhist prayers, Hebrew prayer in song, a bag pipe playing Amazing Grace, a poem in Chamorro (the language of the locals), students, old friends, etc.

The morning was full of tears and laughter, and we all felt her sprit w/us. It felt like we were honoring her and the way she lived her life, and would have wanted us to celebrate her. J