Last week we watched Mr. Holland's Opus together as a family. We are gradually making our way through a long list of movies we want to show the kids--feel good family films, heavy thinky classics and everything in between. (I think you know which end of the spectrum Mr. Holland and his opus sits, good though it is.)
Anyway, in the movie Mr. Holland attends the funeral of one of his students who has been killed in the Vietnam War.
Maddy: "You know what I want at my funeral? A flag draped on my coffin."
[We watch a little more.}
"Oh, wow. Wouldn't it be amazing to have a seven gun salute. It's so patriotic."
[We discuss various ways that one can have a flag-draped coffin and a seven gun salute at your funeral. Military service. Politics. Foreign service, maybe?]
After a couple of beats, Maddy pipes up again: "Of course this is all after someone sings "I Will Always Love You" at the funeral."
. . .
All righty, then. So noted.
