funeral home thoughts

I got called in to work today at 1:00 to make a video for the funeral home.

Since I started this job, I've found it to be kind of a strange mental situation ...

I'm on call for certain days, and may or may not get called in, and so I need to keep that in mind while making plans.

The odd part is this ...

I can plan ahead that I may need a 4-8 hour chunk of time on a certain day, and if I do, I'll also get a chunk of much-needed income.

Meanwhile, if I DO get called in to work, that means there is a family out there, who has absolutely NO IDEA that their life will change completely in that same time period.

It's weird, really ... planning for something that will make such a minor impact on my life, when those whose lives will be forever altered have no way to plan whatsoever.

On a happier note ... here's some funeral humor for you. :)

A Country Funeral


As a young minister in Kentucky, I was asked by a funeral director to hold a grave-side service for a homeless man, who had no family or friends. The funeral was to be held at a new cemetery way back in the country, and this man would be the first to be buried there.

I was not familiar with the backwoods area, and I soon became lost. Being a typical man, I did not stop to ask for directions. I finally arrived an hour late.

I saw the backhoe and the open grave, but the hearse was nowhere in sight. The digging crew was eating lunch. I apologized to the workers for my tardiness, and I stepped to the side of the open grave. There I saw the vault lid already in place. I assured the workers I would not hold them up for long, as I told them that this was the proper thing to do.

The workers gathered around the grave and stood silently, as I began to pour out my heart and soul. As I preached about 'looking forward to a brighter tomorrow' and 'the glory that is to come,' the workers began to say 'Amen,' 'Praise the Lord,' and 'Glory!' The fervor of these men truly inspired me. So, I preached and I preached like I had never preached before, all the way from Genesis to Revelations.

I finally closed the lengthy service with a prayer, thanked the men, and walked to my car. As I was opening the door and taking off my coat, I heard one of the workers say to another, 'I ain't NEVER seen nothin' like that before, and I've been puttin' in septic tanks for thirty years.