香典返しの新しい形

The weather forecast is spot on, a gentle rain is falling. 

I'm just back from my dear friend's funeral.

It was a beautiful ceremony.

Despite it falling on a working day, many people came to say goodbye to her. 

A high school friend flew all the way from Tokyo and there must have been some other work-related people who came from far away. 

We have a tradition of return-present for funeral offerings, which is a burden for bereaved families, but I learned that they'd invented a simple solution. Depending on the amount of 'Kouden', we were asked to choose one of two kinds of return-present at the funeral reception. Troublesome labor disappeared. Making lists of 'Kouden-Gaeshi' is no longer necessary.  Great! But, I would suggest to stop 'Koden-gaeshi' itself. We have too many things. People are trying to get rid of things anyway. Make it easier for bereaved families and reduce waste.

退院したら近所の温泉に行きたい。

春には桜を見たい。

夏には海に行きたい。

そう言っていたMy dear friend Ellie    RIP