[Eileanright]

I remember having my grandpa laid out in our living room. All the family members gathered for the wake and took turns sitting with the body. It was my first funeral so I thought it was just normal.

Eileanright

[Yaelle]

In the Jewish faith, the body is not left alone for any time until burial. There is a special service called Chevra Kadisha made up of volunteers who wash the body and dresshim in his shroud and take turns 24/7 sitting with him and saying prayers.

Humans since cavemen have always had rituals to help us deal with the depth of grief when we lose a loved one. Cultures, families, people do it differently. It all deserves RESPECT and REVERENCE.

One day Alan Colmes will die. He ought to think about it, because right now some very good people all over the country are probably against their better natures envisioning ways to “play” with his body.

[rhombus]

I remember having my grandpa laid out in our living room. All the family members gathered for the wake and took turns sitting with the body. It was my first funeral so I thought it was just normal.

How long ago was this? No doubt in years gone past, this was "normal". The gist of my question was, do hospitals and governments even allow this now?

[texasmikey]

Didn’t Steve Jobs die at home, with his family present? Wonder what Alan thought of that?

Last night on American Pickers one of the things they picked were pictures of dead infants and other family members. Photography was expensive enough that you only got one picture, after you were gone. Sometimes they even posed the people so they still looked alive. Alan would go crazy.

After reading more about this incident, my heart goes out to all who have lost a child, it is hard enough losing grandparents, parents and close friends. I can’t imagine the pain of going through the loss of a child.