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The Valley of the Shadow of Death
I always think that I am adjusted to the idea of death. My work at a large funeral home/cemetery/crematory/mausoleum for the past decade-plus has altered my view of death and dying. I recall how I was at one time afraid of the idea of dying. I would not even consider that this is a part of our life process, and death comes to us all. Our American or Western society does a very poor job of getting us ready for this part of our soul’s spiritual journey. We speak in hushed tones. We hurry bereaved spouses back to work and tell them “You will get over it.”
For a decade I worked as a Certified Celebrant. I met with the families of the recently dead, and we planned the arrangements for their final memorial service and their interment plans. This gave me a unique opportunity to sit and learn about someone’s life and how their trajectory of years played out. I Googled the deceased, and learned much about them from the internet, including social media postings. I looked at public records. I tried to get a clear picture of their journey through this life and wanted to include their accomplishments and their loves and passions. Of course, I didn’t include negative things. We all have those. We all know our faults and troubles well enough. We don’t need someone else to list them for us.
The day of the funeral or memorial would come and go, and I would often find myself…
