I'd say something about being sorry to have to see him again under these circumstances, ask if there's anything that you can do and offer to make yourself available if he wants to get together, even if it means you have to drive a few hours to get there.
Also, after you go through the visitation line, which is what you should do first, you should go sit down unless invited to stand with your friend. If you know others there, quietly chatting is just fine, of course. Your friend may decide to jump out of the receiving line and come visit with you, but that may not be possible.
Take your cues from the family and the folks around you. There are some visitations where humor is entirely appropriate and others where it's not. It kind of depends on the person, the circumstances of their death and how their family is taking it. Unfortunately I had to go to a funeral about 2 weeks ago for a college friend who'd been sick for a long time, but her family turned it into more of a party since that's what she would have wanted. I have another one to go to Saturday morning for a friend's father that will more likely be much more introspective given that the deceased was a former monk and worked for the Church for years.
__________________
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - B. Franklin
"There ought to be limits to freedom." - George W. Bush
"We have met the enemy and he is us." - Pogo
|