Do Those Who Have Recently Passed Watch Their Own Funerals

Do those who have recently passed attend their own funerals?  I have seen 3 people at their funerals, was it my imagination do you think, or were they really there, and if they were why would they hang around amongst a load of grieving relatives and friends when the spirit world is so wonderful?  I ask because I've seen 3 people at their funerals and had something strange happen at another.  Years ago Mum and I saw my Dad's stepfather at his, he was standing beside his coffin, dressed in one of his 'deckchair' summer shirts.  He had several very 'loud' striped summer shirts that all the family used to tease him about, usually worn with an old pair of baggy below knee length old khaki army shorts, a combination that always provoked a torrent of friendly abuse whenever he wore them, and a two fingered salute in reply.  I looked across the church at the crematorium and there he was standing beside the coffin dressed in a red, blue, white and black striped shirt, but not the shorts thankfully, he'd swapped them for a decent looking pair of fawn trousers.  He looked a lot younger, still balding but his hair was dark and he had a big grin on his face.  I nudged Mum and asked if she could see someone standing there.  She said "Yes, Pop in one of his hideous shirts."  He stayed for a while then disappeared as quickly as if someone had flicked off a switch.

I saw Mum 4 years ago at hers.  I looked up towards the church ceiling and there was her face looking down at us, slightly illuminated and bearing a big smile.  She was visible for several minutes before vanishing.  The same thing happened later the same year when my husband's musical partner passed.  Again I saw him looking down from the ceiling, slightly illuminated and smiling, he was standing near my husband who the family had asked to play a short guitar piece from the CD they had been working on. 

The same year again (must have been a popular year for passing to spirit there were 5 that year) we had attended a friend's funeral and while at the church service (first I must explain that the lady didn't like flowers as they reminded her of funerals so instead had just a couple of lilies on her basketwork coffin and 4 large, white balloons tied to the handles).  It was a warm summer day and during the service the church door was open.  Suddenly a breeze came up and started the balloons swaying, strangely, in time to the music that she and her husband had chosen.  After the service we all made our way outside and stood around near the grave for the interment.  Before the coffin was lowered in the ribbons tying the balloons on were cut.  There was quite a breeze blowing by then and 2 of the balloons shot off very fast to the left and were soon out of sight.  A third went right up to some relatives, then veered off in the same direction, the 4th came right up to my husband and I and stood motionless in front of us, at eye level, the ribbon hanging straight down, and remained there for quite a few minutes inspite of the wind.  It was so odd people were commenting on it.  We said goodbye to the lady and wished her a safe journey, after which the balloon shot off in the same direction as the others.  We think it was her saying thank you to my husband who had helped her widower set up the funeral music.  They'd gone to the church in the morning and found there was no facility for plugging in a tape recorder or CD player, so he'd managed to wire it into a heater socket so that she could have her chosen music. 

The same year again I saw another friend who had passed.  I was at a meditation class, when the inside of my head semed to light up and our friend appeared he seemed to be leaning down between me and the lady who ran the group who was sat beside me.  He looked younger but not as much as I thought he should, and his hair was standing up in all directions (he was Czech and had a habit of running his fingers through his hair if he was having the occasional dificulty with the language).  His appearance was sudden and unexpected and I jumped and said "Ooh! hello."  "Hello" he replied.  Then (I can't believe I said this) I said "I thought you'd have looked younger than this."  He grinned, and replied "Well, you wouldn't have recognised me if I had would you."  "Er, no."  He laughed then vanished.  It just seemed strange to me, a very odd conversation.

Any ideas?

Rozanna