Honouring our viking Dad

My dad was admitted to hospital the day I came out with my new three day old daughter. He died 10 days after. To say it was an emotional time is a fairly large understatement. When my family and I gathered the next day to sort out what was happening that was a pretty epic and eye-opening experience. Making all the arrangements for somebody dying was literally not a thing any of us had ever done before, or really even thought about. And what a minefield of expensive options we were presented with! Our eyes were boggling at the absolutely outrageous prices for every item in each funeral home catalogue.
We determined that our old Viking dad would be cursing all over Valhalla if we chose any other option but the cheapest possible. He definitely would want us to save our cash for the big send off party he wanted. And what I send off we gave him! It was a total tropical Viking fest complete with a long boat on a pyre, spit pig and plenty of mead. It was wonderful that we made our own ceremony and rituals and we came together in a celebration of his life and our love for him. Whenever we’ve talked about it in the 12 years since we all agree that the only thing missing was him. I think it’s so important for me to share the story because people need to know they can go their own way in life and also in death.