I wouldn’t trade it for the WORLD.

Today I had:
1) a 10am graveside (non-religious, 79 degrees),
2) a 11am viewing, 12pm funeral (Christian), 1pm graveside (88 degrees), and 1:30-3:30pm reception
3) a 3:30pm graveside (Muslim, 95 degrees)

All this after having a long night (not getting home until 10pm) at a family’s home hearing stories of their beautiful daughter who’s service I get to officiate this weekend. There is absolutely no way I could do this without my amazing ambassadors at my work. After I have our morning huddle with each team for the different events, they all proceed to help make everything look like it’s running smoothly while I’m running around like a mad woman all over the place. Now I have no idea how they feel about me as a person, that’s none of my business, but I do know they accept me for me. I may be short with them every now and then, but they know it’s because I’m doing five things at once, need to make snap decisions, don’t have time for nonsense, and often just trying to keep my head above water. But they also know that if I’m short, I’m sorry, because I’m free and flowing with my gratitude and appreciation for all they do (because I tell them constantly).

I’m reminded of the first six years of being a funeral director and there were no ambassadors where I worked and I had to do everything on my own. This day would have been impossible. But this is my norm now. Tomorrow I get to have an early morning phone call with a brother who is the only next of kin for his sister and try to convince him not to abandon the body. Every day in funeral service is different. Every day is a surprise, a new challenge, and most of all every day gives me a new way to look at the world and those in it and see how amazing we are as humans, how kind (and cruel!) we can be to each other. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

(I love you immensely, I know today was hard, thank you all for sweating it out with me: Douglas Pearlstein, Larry and Linda McGhee, Erin Howser Dodson, Karla Ann Harris Bruce)