For years, I’ve had friends prodding me to chronicle my experiences in the funeral profession. To highlight the ups and downs of serving families and the toils and laughs that comes with it. I’ve always hedged, hesitated, hemmed, and hawed at the prospect. With the decline and fragmentation of the publishing industry, I haven’t felt that the medium of a book was particularly compelling. It’s easier to beat someone senseless with a book on death, dying or funeral than it is to get them to read it. “You need to blog about it!” they’ve said. Well, yes, this is a medium that allows for a little more flexibility, but alas, if this literary endeavor shapes up like my others, intentions to produce a blog entry every two weeks may prove… challenging. We’ll give it a run and see.
A couple of things that you should be forewarned about when it comes to my writing. I can’t picture any long term endeavor on the topic of death, cremation, funeral and burial being absent of irreverent humor, glib commentary, or frank discussion. Many, find these topics distasteful. Some I would imagine would find such treatment of the weighty topic of death offensive. To that end, I must say: I never want to offend anyone’s sensibilities. I understand, and respect the gravity and delicacy with which the loss of a loved one engenders. There is nothing more painful, and nothing more fragile than the death of someone dear. And with that understanding, I am also intimately aware of the fact that there’s always someone out there that will get their nose bent. To you I will likely say “I’m sorry if I’ve offended your sensibilities.”
With that disclaimer out of the way, the intent of this blog is not to facilitate grieving and soften the cruel blow of death. My intent is to create a space where you, the patrons and public, can get answers to your questions, read a story from time to time and leave with a smile better informed. So, hopefully you will find a little cremation, burial and funeral information marginally interesting. I know I find the subject endlessly entertaining; because after all – I find people interesting.
Thanks for reading.
JJ