The staff at the office where my wife works was hosting a farewell luncheon for a retiring colleague.

As the group prepared to go to the restaurant, they found that they couldn't fit the giant balloon they had purchased for the guest of honor into the car. Undaunted, they simply held the balloon out the window as they drove.

My wife and her co-workers weren't prepared for the glares they received from passers-by. As the long line of traffic in front of their vehicle began to turn, they saw that their car was right behind a funeral procession.

There was nothing they could do but hold on to the balloon with its bright red farewell message: "Gone but not forgotten."