Funeral Portrait of "Ah Ying Chen 1923-2007" in memory of "Eng Hack Chen 1919-1994" and "Rui Ying Wong 1929-2009"
A loved one has passed. Now it’s time to prepare for the funeral. Everyone comes together, family, close friends, the young and the not so young. We gather around a large pile of Joss. Joss is a small, tissue light, almost square paper painted orange with a gold leaf center. We fold from this traditional items resembling gold to be burned as offerings, to use in the afterlife. We fold, we talk and we eat. We laugh until we cry. We cry until we laugh. There are always stories to be told and memories to be revisited. But unfortunately, also pain and regrets… “I should have… If only… Not enough time.” It is then that one of the elders, usually a Great Aunt will squawk “Shut up and fold! You’re getting the paper wet!” And then she will say more quietly, more gently “Let it go, No more regrets, Let it go.” Then she’ll begin clucking again about the shape of some of our fold pieces “How do you expect Grandpa to get into heaven with these? They’ll think they’re counterfeit!” Great Auntie will then point out that the children are making airplanes, boats, and all manner of animals. Of course these items will stay because Grandpa loved them, the planes, the boats, the animals and the grandchildren.
