Dearly Departed

Father Mackenzie had been invited to lunch after the funeral. It seemed only natural: he had known Mrs. Draper for thirty years. Presiding over her final mass had been difficult, but he had found comfort in the presence of her three children and loving extended family.

He approached the banquet hall - this was to be an elaborate affair - and had a peak inside: he couldn't recognise anyone, and the table setting seemed a little superfluous, even for the Drapers, but the black curtains, carpet, tablecloth and slip covers, and the austere damask all signaled grief to him.

As he reached to open the door, he suddenly noticed a bride approach him with a quizzical look on her face. "Are you here for the Johnson-Smith wedding?" she asked. It was then that Father Mackenzie knew that the Johnson-Smiths could probably use a good, old-fashioned blessing.