The motorcycle cop pointed his cycle at the oncoming car, forcing it to the side of the road. His lights were flashing and he was madly waving his left arm for the cars to pull over to the curb. It was obvious he was angry at having to repeatedly do this as our funeral procession wound its way through the neighborhood for the short drive to the cemetery.

    People were in a hurry and didn’t want to be bothered by a five-minute or less wait while our procession passed. It reminded me of something a funeral director said to me nearly twenty years ago in a similar situation: “These days, only hippies and farmers pull off and show their respect as a funeral procession passes.” While hippies are pretty hard to identify today, that two-decade-old assessment still rings true.

    We feel we’re too busy to pause for anything, even those who are grieving... even after the sobering reminders of life’s frailty we’ve experienced in recent weeks. However, I want to ask that you reassess this important pause. Why? Let me share a few reasons.

    Police officers leading a funeral procession have to make fast moves in and around the procession. They need unhindered lanes to speed by the procession to block off side streets or guide the cars through dangerous intersections. Traffic moving in and around the procession is dangerous to them, and to the procession itself. Pull over, please!

Life is short and fragile.

    I’ve been in funeral processions for almost every kind of death. Despite the impression we have that most death is an antiseptic end of life for old people, in reality, every death has it’s own trauma and grief. More often than not, the grieving family is dealing with an unexpected and horrific loss, and are covered in emotion and confusion. If we can’t pause for a few moments to say to our unknown neighbors, “We respect your loss, we’re praying for you and your love ones, as we pause!” then we have reached a very cold place in the devolution of human culture. Out of respect of those who have lost a loved one, pull over, please!

    Life is short and fragile. Life is a gift of grace. It must be maximized and used to its utmost. Being reminded that all of us will die and give an account for how we lived our lives is not often welcome, but it is essential. Each of us will one day be the main attraction at a funeral. People will say nice things about us, shed a few tears, haul us to a cemetery, stick us in a hole, throw dirt in our face, and then go back to the church building and eat chicken. That’s not meant to be irreverent or cold. It’s just the simple truth. Life will go on even though we are gone. The impact of our days on earth will be measured in how we have utilized the life we’ve been given. Being reminded of this for a few moments by the passing procession is a healthy thing in a culture that avoids thinking about death at all costs. Each of us needs to pause and remember our own mortality from time to time. Pull over, please!

    As we’ve learned in the World Trade Center tragedies, every person who dies has a story, a family, a void that no one else can fill. Let’s not forget. Let’s not rush past. Let’s show a little respect. Pull over, please!

Title: "Pull Over, Please!"
Author: Phil Ware
Publication Date: November 5, 2001

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