Southern matters of life and death - Clay Wilson  There are many
things I like about living in the South. The laid-back pace, the
general friendliness of the people, the food, the funerals.  I
don't like the funerals themselves, of course. There's nothing
particularly pleasant about paying a last earthly visit to a
departed loved one.  But I do like the way people in the South
react to funerals.  I've thought of this before, but it was
brought home to me again Sunday when I was in a funeral
procession.  My mother's first cousin had died. He and his wife,
who had died before him of complications from diabetes, were
always extremely kind to me. In fact, they helped to pay for my
first year of college.  I figured the least I could do was to go
and pay my final respects.  The service was beautiful, a typical
Southern evangelical observance n full of references to heaven
and the new life Jim was experiencing. Then we made the short
drive to the cemetery where his mortal remains would be laid to
rest.  A police car