No Tears In Heaven

Nuch's father's funeral began yesterday. In the afternoon, his body was brought to the temple, and family and close friends had a chance to say their last goodbyes. Then, he was placed in the casket, and the funeral altar was prepared.

At 7:30 in the evening, the monks arrived and began chanting. During one of their breaks, Nuch told me to turn around and pointed up at the sky. Above the temple roof and looking down at the funeral, Venus, Jupiter and a crescent moon had come together to form a celestial smiley face.

The auspicious smile hung in the sky for about half an hour, while the monks chanted their funeral prayers. By the time they were finished, Venus and Jupiter and drifted away, and the crescent moon had sunk below the horizon. It's the first lunar constellation I've ever seen or even heard of, and its presence certainly made an impression on the funeral guests. The significance of it all - no one can say for sure - perhaps, it was just another last goodbye.