Funerals.
You know, while I was sitting watching Songs of Praise today, it made me wonder what hymns I'd have at my funeral, and then thinking about funerals in general, which some might think is rather depressing, but I think it doesn't have to be that way... plus you just don't know when one shall slip off this mortal coil, so I was going to type out an entire funeral plan here, but that might be too depressing, so I'll just note a few things and get round to my detailled funeral plan later.
My funeral hymns would have to be (in order) O God Our Help In Ages Past , The Lord's My Shepherd (to the tune Crimond), Jesu, Lover of My Soul, Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer and ending with the triumphant For All The Saints. (You can Google those hymns if you wish - I did wonder about putting the words, but I'll let you find them for yourselves!)
As for the choral music, I'd like the choirs to sing Psalm 121 in place of a psalm reading (there is a wonderful version of that on YouTube for the Queen Mother's funeral), God So Loved The World as the anthem, and then ending with Rutter's blessing The Lord Bless You and Keep You.
I still can't decide between burial or cremation... I'm tempted to go for cremation, because I hate being cold, and the thought of slowly rotting into the ground does not appeal. But then I miss out on the opportunity of being dug up in thousands of years and my skull ending up in the British Museum, or, better still, being dug up by Time Team! :D If I did have a cremation, I'd probably have Time To Say Goodbye then the hymn The Day Thou Gavest and then leaving to Vera Lynn's We'll Meet Again.
I think I'd also like a memorial service sometime in the summer following my death. Funerals are always such sad occasions - everyone feels the need to be draped in black, and with the person having just died and being in a box does not bode well for humorous anecdotes. Yet I'd like to think most of my life has been, and will be based around humour. So a memorial service would allow people to gather in a pleasant setting in pleasant weather and in pleasantly coloured clothing, have a chuckle at what people have to say, sing a few cheerier hymns and listen to some more upbeat readings, and then go to have afternoon tea as I would have done, and then a dinner later in the evening. It's a pity more people don't have memorial services - I'd much rather go to one of those than a funeral.
Cheery, no? :P