06/14/2025
As I lay here in a hospital bed, recovering from infections from my hip replacement last month, I've had a lot of time with my thoughts. I cant help but think back on my 20-25 year career in funeral service. Some things are fleeting and other things are not and sometimes, some things will never leave you.
I have worked with many ministers over the years and I have heard many sermons and messages. Again, some are fleeting, but some really stick. One that stands out above all others is this memory.
Years ago, I was called upon to help a family who just lost a 3 week old baby girl. They called it crib death back then, but I am not sure what terminology that would translate into today. Anyway, I made the arrangements, prepared the baby to have a little service with her family and then we took the little one to the cemetery for the committal. Now, I have heard literally thousands of eulogies in my years as a funeral director, but this one, I will never forget. The preacher who was presiding over the babys service was an older gentleman, wearing bib overalls, big white beard, eyeglasses, had a smoking pipe in his chest pocket, a straw hat that he took off at the beginning of the service and an old worn bible in his hands. The family did not have a family minister and this gentleman stopped by the funeral home to offer his services for the family, free of charge. They accepted.
As he began to preach to the small crowd of mostly family, he said something that grabbed my attention. As he was talking about when we tell our parents and grandparents goodbye at the cemetery, we are burying memories. The difference between burying parents and grandparents vs burying a child is that we aren't burying memories, as much as we are burying dreams. My eyes welled up and I had to look away. He went on to say dreams like "I wonder who she would have married?" "I wonder if she would have had a successful career?" ..and the dreams dont stop there. When the day comes that she would have turned 16, "I wonder who she would have taken to prom tonight if she were still living?" The dreams dont end.
There wasn't a dry eye in that cemetery including my own. I usually try not to show that, as family looks to me for strength and support, but sometimes, its just going to come, and I cant help it. This, was a prime example of it. But this old country minister, was so very true in his message.
I had never met him before and no one seemed to know him locally. He was as kind as could be and helped that family over another hump. Little did I know that the babys mom was attempting su***de just a day before the service and this gentleman talked her through it and gave her reason to go on. I truly believe this man was sent from God himself. I never saw him again and none of my coworkers, knew the man at all.
But I'll never forget that day and how it affected me, as a funeral director moving forward in a young career at the time. I am convinced that I saw one of God's true angels on Earth that day. -Chris
