Monday, May 18, 2009

Why do I do this?


I do this because I love it so much. You don't work in a funeral home and leave it at the end of a day. It is part of you. I have worked in two of the oldest professions; but no I am not a prostitute... I like eating and living indoors. I have worked for God and you don't clock out at the end of your shift and head to the house for a beer. It is not a way of life. It IS your life. Just like working at The Home. No man knows when death will come but we must all be prepared.


Working in a small town funeral home gave me a totally different perspective on life. There was a blur between work and non-work. Everywhere I went I was that young preacher that worked at The Home. No slack days, no off days. And we took it very seriously. But it was absurd at the same time. Humanity; comedy and tragedy! I have cried and I have laughed so hard I cried and in the end the moments tended to blend together. Sorrow, dejection, lonliness, happiness, joy and hope. That is what life is all about. The good, the bad and the ugly.


I have so many stories and so little time. I also work for Caribou Entertainment out of Hollywood. I am putting this all together into a treatment for a movie or a TV series. I would love to have your stories. Please feel free to share. Tragedy and Triumph, Sadness and Hope. It is why we get up in the morning. Just when you think you are having a bad day, along comes someone that sets a new standard.


And yet we all get up....

22 comments:

sam said...

There's a great new report from The Wall Street Transcript that has lots of details on the economics of funeral homes. You can get a free interview with this link:

http://www.twst.com/sample_funeral_report.html

scarlet reynolds said...

If you would like to talk to a funeral director before the death of a loved one, or to make advance arrangements for yourself, funeral directors are there to help at every stage of the planning process. They will be able to advise you as to what happens next and what considerations should be made. Everything from details for the service, floral tributes and memorials, and estimations of costs are able to be discussed beforehand.

Funeral Adelaide said...

There are people that have great passion in everything they do and being in a funeral service is what you do best.

Amanda said...

We are declaring this weekend national Life Celebration Weekend!
Saturday Oct 29th is visit is cemetery day!
We are asking that everyone take a walk through your local cemetery..

Look at the names, look at the date of birth, look at the date of death, and think for a moment about the life that was lived between these two dates. That space between the dates represented their life and their legacy. One day you will have your own space whether on a cemetery headstone or obituary listing that will represent your own life and legacy. What will you want yours to represent?

Sunday Oct 30th is national Plan your own great funeral day!

Visit http://mysendoff.com/life-celebration-weekend/ to start planning your personalized sendoff.

Kaloy said...

I agree with you that life in fact is full of uncertainty. No one can perfectly guess when their time to die would probably come. It is very necessary that we are vigilant. Life is too short and we sould make the most out of it!

Funeral Adelaide

Unknown said...

nice one dude i like it as my own Funeral home lol

Unknown said...

Wow. Sounds like a job you really have to invest in. Thanks for the great insights on funeral services st. charles il!

Ann said...

But most hard jobs you take home with you
Ann

Unknown said...

I am looking for funeral services in Schaumburg il. I recently had a family member pass away and I need to make sure I get them taken care of. Please let me know quick about any suggestions.

Unknown said...

Thanks for posting this. I was looking for funeral homes in Countryside, IL and stumbled across this article. It made my day.

RhabbKnotte' said...

Thank you all so much for the encouragement. I'm going to start writing after the first of the year. Hopefully there will be more to enjoy!

RhabbKnotte'

Unknown said...

A funeral should not be a sad event but a happy one. We will see them again, because everyone dies. Eventually we will go where they have gone.
http://www.ahlgrimfuneral.com/index.asp

Jeremy said...

I am always fascinated by people in your industry. I knew a few morticians and directors in my day and their stories beat most others. I hope to see this as a movie or TV show soon!

Unknown said...

My cousin has told me that she would like to be a mortician or funeral director when she's finished with school. I told her that it takes a very strong person to be able to deal with stuff like that every day. I will have to send her a link to your blog so that she can get some further incite as to what it's actually like to work as a funeral director. http://www.elysianfieldsfunerals.com.au/about-us/the-funeral-director

Unknown said...

A lot of the time too, a mortician lives in the funeral home. So not only do you take your work home with you, your work is the home you're going to. I don't know if I could do it, but I have a lot of respect for those who do.

Jim Tracy | http://www.taylorfamilyfuneralhome.com

Unknown said...

I watched a movie the other day about a little girl and her father who is a mortician. They live in the same home where he does his work. The movie made me cry and was very touching. I don't remember the name of the movie but it made me interested to learn more about those who are morticians for a living. I have been to a few funeral homes in my life and I have a lot of respect as well for those who do this work.

Jessie | http://www.suessfuneralhome.net/?page=services

Unknown said...

I've never thought about life that. I agree, emotions are a circle. The very extremes of happiness and the very extremes of sadness merge together at some point. I know a lot of people appreciate the care and dedication you give to your funeral home services. It truly does make a difference to the family members.

Jenn | http://www.faroneandsoninc.com

Unknown said...

Excellent post! I liked reading about your experience with life working at "the home" as you call it. I think there are a lot of stereotypes about people who work at funeral homes and this certainly helps people to understand the caring nature of those that will be working with their loved ones. http://www.brewerfuneral.com/funeral-home-arrangements.html

Unknown said...

That is something to be said for someone that works in a funeral home. People will always connect you with your work. It isn't necessarily a bad thing; it is just the way it is.

Elisa Jed | http://www.elysianfieldsfunerals.com.au/about-us/the-funeral-director

Unknown said...

I wouldn't feel comfortable sharing my stories, but I do want to express my gratitude for your optimism and the work you're doing. My uncle recently passed away, leaving my aunt to plan for the funeral. They hadn't really made many plans yet, and he was still decently young. The funeral home was able to refer my aunt to useful sources and streamline the process for her, which took a lot off her shoulders.

Helen Lund | http://www.chapelfunerals.com.au

Unknown said...

Hi guys,
Thank you so much for this wonderful article really!
If someone want to buy things for a Funeral I think this is the right place for you!

Joey Giangrosso said...

Loving it...Thanks for the invite. I know I will enjoy your stories from your most interesting life!