Every time I write a story, I always change names, circumstances, and any identifying factors. This story — like most others — is less about “Dan” and more about what he taught me. The funeral home’s business line rang and — in my normal fashion — I answered, “Hello. Wilde Funeral Home. Caleb speaking.” “Hi, […]
Kids and death. Okay, guys. Here’s how I talk to Jeremiah about death. I tell him that I don’t have all the answers. I tell him that it makes me scared too. And when someone we love inevitably dies, I won’t hide my tears from him. Because I want to give him permission to cry […]
There’s a reason our kids don’t ask Santa for a toy casket. And why Disney doesn’t offer a destination funeral experience. When one of our loved ones die, it’s never fun. It’s not pretty. Death is impossibly hard. It’s so, so very messy, circular, cloudy, vulnerable, and tiring. It can hurt, it can be lonely, […]
The metanarrative that we’ve been fed Is that it’s always bad when someone’s dead That death is public enemy number one And that there’s nothing good when life is done. ***** It’s true that death hurts me and you And it’s true that death can be tragic too It’s true that grief will never leave […]
1. Dead body ≠ Doom and Destruction of the Public Health Under normal circumstances, dead bodies are safe and offer no reasonable danger to the public health. A dead body offers no more danger than it did when it was living. 2. In Some Circumstances, Embalming Can Make a Dead Body Safer Sure, embalming […]