Being on the Outside

A member from our credit union came in for a loan. As we talked, he told me about a woman whose husband had died. They had been married for 32 years and she was very upset because in the tribal tradition of burial, she could not be part because she was not Indian. As I questioned him about this he said that the man was taken, given the burial ceremony and then buried in an unmarked grave in a remote area on the tribal burial grounds.
That tribal ceremony had no respect for a life lived of 32 years together. It didn't acknowledge the love, care and support spouse had given to spouse. No acceptance of two lives lived together for most of an earthly existence.
I told him how wounded I would have been if I had given that much of my life to one man and then not been allowed to be present in death simply because I was or was not a particular blend of humanity. I told him that God is no respecter of persons, He doesn't require us to be a particular blend of human, or have particular rites. He agreed, he said, "Man is the one who shuts people out based on their perception of what is allowed. God does not."