May 2018

Page A4 MAY 2018 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS S ec t i on A By Nancy Weil Nice to Meet You There is something about the funeral industry that feeds our soul and keeps us from ever transferring to a differ- ent job. High stress, tight deadlines, difficult people, long hours, overwhelming workload…yes, yes, yes! All of this comes with the job, but there is more to it than that. Mak- ing a difference, helping the bereaved, connecting some- one through their genealogy search…yes, yes and yes! The part I like most of all? The people I am privileged to meet. Whether on the phone or in person, I am welcomed into their lives and get to know a bit of their story. I have learned that there are no simple lives and no uninteresting people. Sometimes their life story comes out as we are making their funeral arrangements. It is a time for reflection on what they have done and what they still want to accom- plish. Sometimes it is when I am writing a celebrant ser- vice and putting together their loved one’s life into a per- sonalize funeral service that will provide comfort and a time to remember. Sometimes it is just through a phone Random Musings call where I ask a question that allows them the space to share and know someone is listening and cares to hear about them. No matter how it happens, there is a part of this in- dustry that leads people to opening up and talking about themselves or their loved one in a way that they would never do otherwise. I have heard funny stories, tragic ones and ordinary mo- ments. Here are just a few that have taken up a space in my heart: • I met with a veteran who gave me a copy of his DD214 discharge papers for our files. He told me that it did not tell the entire story of his military service, as much of what he did involved secret missions that could not be reported. This man is one of many of our hidden heroes. • The adult children who shared how their parents first met. Their dad was playing football with her brother and she showed up at the game with her pet chicken in a basket! • A man I had met with to make his funeral pre-arrange- ments, calling me weeks later to tell me that he was go- ing into hospice care and wanted to make sure everything was in order. I felt like it was a conversation with a dead man talking. • Being greeted at the door by a barking dog who I later learned had been de-barked twice and was wearing a no- bark collar. I guess the dog did not get the memo that he could no longer make a sound. These are just a few recent interactions I have had. Over the years there have been hundreds of them. You also have been honored to be a safe harbor for your client’s tales. You carry their life story with you. They guide you and in- spire you. They remind you not to take even one day for granted. They make you think of what memories you are creating for your family to share one day. I’d love to hear about the ones who touched your heart. E-mail me at Nancy@TheLaughAcademy.com and tell me what they said and what you took away from it. Better yet, share with me a bit of your own story and what you love most about our business. WithcertificationsasaGriefServicesProviderandGriefManagement Specialist, Funeral Celebrant, as well as Laughter Leader, Nancy Weil is uniquely qualified to bring new perspectives into how to best meet the needs of the families you serve. A professional speaker, Nancy travels the country bringing effective tools to reduce stress, combat compassion fatigue and handle grief to companies, associations and conferences large and small. With a passionate interest in the healing qualities of laughter, she is known for her energetic, entertaining and content rich programs. In addition to talks geared to the general public, she has also been brought in by funeral directors to offer (CEU) programs to funeral staff, nurses, chaplains and social work- ers in their communities. Nancy has developed the most comprehensive aftercare program of any cemetery or funeral home in the country and is currently di- recting aftercare programs, community outreach and marketing at Veterans Funeral Care. She consults with industry professionals in how they can develop or grow their own grief support program in order to maintain contact with the families they serve and develop stronger relationships within their community. Her book, If Stress Doesn’t Kill You, Your Family Might , is filled with tools that work to reduce stress and find your “inner happy.” For more information on how Nancy can help you and your business grow, visit her website: www.TheLaughAcademy.com or by email at: Nancy@TheLaughAcademy.com . www.nomispublications.com Funeral Home & Cemetery News Contributors share insights and exchange ideas. B logs Funeral Supply Store 1-800-392-2936 • www.funeralsupplystore.com Folding Embalming Table $1295 00 FREE SHIPPING Dressing Table $895 00 FREE SHIPPING Magnum Mortuary Cot $1495 00 1,000 lb. Capacity FREE SHIPPING Elite Mortuary Cot $995 00 600 lb. Capacity FREE SHIPPING Hydraulic Embalming Table $2995 00 FREE SHIPPING Todd W. Van Beck Publishes New Book, Exploring the Heart of Funeral Service NASHVILLE,TN— Todd W. Van Beck has published a new book entitled Exploring the Heart of Funeral Service. Mr. Van Beck is a well-known educator, speaker and au- thor in the funeral and cemetery service professions and has traveled the world in the pursuit of helping those who deal with the reality of death such as clergy, hos- pice, funeral professionals and bereaved families. This book tells a story about the difficulty of funeral service counseling. Funeral service is not an easy career. Funeral professionals have two major respon- sibilities, caretaking of the dead, and care giv- ing to the living. Few occupations carry such ominous duties and re- sponsibilities. This book is composed of two parts: part one of the book is called Navi- gating Successful Funeral Communications which explores 17 general top- ics pertinent to funeral communications, rang- ing from “Experiential Expertise” to “Endings.” Part two of the book is called the Principles of Funeral Ser- vice Counseling which will explore counseling and helping topics including the Foundation of Funeral Counseling, The Wisdom and Logic of the Funer- al, Objectives in Funeral Counseling, the Challenges of Funeral Counseling, Unique Situations in Funeral Counseling, and more. This is not a textbook on counseling techniques per se, instead it is a book devoted to analyzing and exploring the particular nuances that com- pose the unique nature and skill of funeral ser- vice counseling. The book is available on Amazon. com. For more information about the author, visit www.toddvanbeck.com. It is even a more challeng- ing career to excel at, and yet most funeral profes- sionals do excel in navi- gating and traversing the murky waters of grief communication. Funeral professionals excel at human caring, human compassion, and human concern, which make a career in funer- al service as unique and special as the personali- ty and character of every decedent that members of this noble profession are called upon to take care of. A career in fu- neral service and a min- istry on demand are syn- onyms. Send Us Your News! PO Box 5159, Youngstown, OH 44514 Fax 1-800-321-9040 • Email info@nomispublications.com FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS We welcome news of the industr y. Send us information on your firm today!