A writer talks about her experience at a home funeral for a young man who was tragically killed in a  car accident.  "This is the first time I am so close. There is a body bag on the table, waiting to be opened. Our best friends’ 22-year-old son’s body is inside. His mother and father are across from me, brothers beside, with several women gathered to form the circle around the table. These women will become my sisters in the next five hours, as we prepare the body together. ...

Great article from Smithsonian about one man's experience with home funerals.