HAROLD KELLER

Secret of greatness is humility

I have attended many funerals in my lifetime. If you’ve lived in the same location over 60 years, you develop a lot of relationships that almost demand you pay last respects to the deceased. I’ve been to funerals of well-known people who really attract large crowds. Sometimes the funeral parlor doesn’t have enough room for all the flower arrangements. I’m sure that makes the families of the deceased feel good. I’ve also been conscious of the different coffins that are available – some are really elaborate and some are not. I have heard some really good eulogies and some that made you wonder if the person they referred to was really the deceased. A few years ago, I heard someone, jokingly (I hope) say, “Harold, you won’t have trouble rounding up pall bearers. Many people will volunteer!” I’ve often told my wife and children that I’m going to write my own eulogy, because I don’t want anyone to “flower it up.” I haven’t done that yet, but I think I will. Who, other than God, knows my heart better than I do? Why am I writing about funerals? I notice as I get older that I reminisce a lot. This weekend, I was thinking about my Aunt Catherine’s funeral that I attended in Baton Rouge about five years ago. Aunt Catherine was married to my dad’s brother, Nolan Keller Sr. (Uncle “Dub,” as he is called). Uncle “Dub” and Aunt Catherine were a big part of my growing up. Living in Baton Rouge, they would invite me to spend two weeks every summer with them. It was a great, refreshing experience for a young boy. They took me to ball games and treated me as one of their own. Getting back to the funeral of my Aunt Catherine. The picture that strikes out the most in my mind is that as I entered the funeral parlor, she was laid out in a plain pine box. That’s right! A pine box – unpainted. I had never seen anything like that. I asked my uncle, “Why the plain box?” He answered, “That’s what she wanted.” I later found out that when Bishop Ott of the Baton Rouge archdiocese died, he was laid out in a plain pine box. It was at that time that Aunt Catherine told my uncle that was what she wanted when she died. Even though I didn’t see them much in later years, my aunt and uncle were special to me – always positive, always excited about life, always making something happen! They raised seven children and have 13 grandchildren. A pine box. Why? I think it’s just a sign of my Aunt Catherine’s humility. Humility is the secret to greatness. My Aunt Catherine was a great lady! HAROLD KELLER writes this column as part of his affiliation with the Get High on Life religious motivational group. Call him at 652-8477.