Returning to Personal Notes
I don't have an answer on another thing - viewings of the deceased before a funeral.

Before a funeral is held, the deceased's family must decide whether the casket will be open either at a special "viewing," or at the funeral service itself. To date, I have not had to make such a decision, and I'm not yet sure what I'll decide when I have to make that choice.

The first open casket that I recall was my grandmother's. In this case and in others, you go up to the casket and see a person with nicely combed hair, dressed in nice clothing, with glasses on, eyes closed, lying peacefully.

But there's something wrong when you look at the skin. It's not right. While it's the right color, it seems strangely stretched and lifeless, giving an unreal quality to the experience.

Perhaps the purpose of the viewing is to let the viewers see this body and realize that the person is truly dead - something to help the viewers move through their grief. Still, I'm not sure that it's all that beneficial.