Review of Deirdre Sullivan's Essay, Always Go to the Funeral

In her personal essay, Sullivan recalls her father telling her as a child to always go to the funeral. She started her essay by describing the first time she had to go to a funeral by herself. Her fifth grade math teacher passed away and she really did not want to go to the funeral. Her father said, “Always go to the funeral. Do it for the family,” and with that, she went to pay her respects. As an adult, she has gained a new appreciation of her father’s saying, “Always go to the funeral.” It means more than just getting in your car and going to the calling hours or the funeral when someone dies. Sullivan believes that simple acts of kindness, such as going to a funeral, are just as important as grand heroic gestures.
There are a great deal of beliefs that I have about this world, how to live, how to act, how me think. First as human beings we are emotional as well has rational beings. The events that occur in life are not meant to be bottled up, but need to be felt, lived and learned from.
Secondly, the funeral is a time and place for us to be selfless. The family and close friends are usually at a low point, they are needed to be comforted and they need the reassurance that their passed loved one has made an impact.
The final reason that I always go to the funeral is because it is a time of closure, renewal, and ultimately it is something I would want others to do for me. I hope that I live my life so that when my time does come; there will not be room for all at my funeral. I do not like going to funerals. I cannot imagine that anyone does. It is an obligation and you go because it’s the right thing to do. Our lives are so busy and our children are so busy, we don’t feel like we have time for things like hospital visits and funerals. I agree with idea of this essay that it is important to make that time, do what is right and always go to the funeral.
So to you I’d like to say, ALWAYS GO TO THE FUNERAL, your time isn’t worth so much as to