A contestant answered it incorrectly by stating "elegy."
eu⋅lo⋅gy [yoo-luh-jee] noun, plural -gies
| 1. | a speech or writing in praise of a person or thing, esp. a set oration in honor of a deceased person. |
| 2. | high praise or commendation. |
I've written several eulogies over the past 10 years, and I've become comfortable speaking them.
People deserve eulogies given by their relatives or friends. It's so much more personal than the standard script often delivered by clergy.
I'm especially offended when a clergy person speaks about someone they've never met.
That happened at my father's service when the funeral director failed to ask me in advance about a eulogy, and the priest denied the ad hoc request.
I seethed with anger throughout the rest of the service, wishing I could muster up the courage to push the priest aside from the podium and deliver my thoughts about Dad anyway.
It was a well-deserved eulogy, simply written by a daughter who loved her father.
I ended up giving Dad's eulogy at the luncheon reception after the service. When my aunt Millie heard what happened in church, she suggested that I do it right there on the spot.
Bless her heart, and damn that priest.
Public speaking is hard to do at first, but it gets easier with practice, especially when speaking about a loved one.
No comments:
Post a Comment