 ARENAC COUNTY – When we aren’t dressed in our traditional black garb, showing respect for the deceased or as Christian tradition would have it – wearing black to symbolize the earth through the interpretation of the biblical verse “ashes to ashes and dust to dust,” we in the funeral business could be mistaken on any day for the housekeeper; handy-man; or even the landscaper. One of the biggest misnomers is that funeral home employees wait around for the phone to ring. On the contrary, at least for our small firm, our days are filled with paperwork and other normal responsibilities of owning a small business, including but not limited to, meeting and following up with families; cleaning bathrooms and vehicles; weeding gardens; shoveling snow; changing light bulbs; washing laundry; fixing broken door bells; following through on insurance claims and merchandise orders; and, on occasion, finding the source of a smell that turns out to be nothing more than stale water sitting in a drain trap in the men’s bathroom. Yes, on the outside it appears, we’re waiting for the phone to ring, but it’s the down time that we use to regroup; reorganize; and improve. Efficiency is essential in our business. When dealing with death, we only have one chance to get things right. There are no do-overs, and that is the premise we operate at our firm. Do it exceptionally well the first time and provide the dignity and respect the deceased deserves and the peace, closure and comfort that the family needs. Of course, there are times when we wish we were miracle workers, but we do the best humanly possible. In any business, however, there is always room for improvement, and we are always striving to be better. Sometimes, we learn from our mistakes, like, ‘it’s always a good idea to have more than one sound recording of “Amazing Grace” or it is behooving to do a drive-by the cemetery prior to burial to ensure the cemetery did its job and cleared the snow-covered two-tracks for the family. Other times, we’re ahead of the game and implement measures that we think will ease the burden of families, like creating and providing families with checklists, so they aren’t confused with the many tasks at hand or delivering flowers to the family’s home, so they are not rushed through their funeral luncheon. These improvements are not necessarily visual and tangible items, say as a tin roof or new furniture, but they are improvements that take time, thought and implementation to work flawlessly. It’s also the time we’re scrubbing floors for stains; unloading shipments from semis; and making repairs to the facilities, which includes assessing the problems; getting appraisals; scheduling the work; and having the work completed before the next family arrives. It’s a juggling act to say the least. We also know that there is no discrimination in death, and it occurs at all hours of the day and night. Needless to say, the downtime is, therefore, also used to regroup with personal responsibilities. The lawn that was half-mowed on Saturday when the phone rang to pick up grandma, can now be completed, even though you might as well start from row one now because it appears the grass didn’t stop growing while you were away for three days. The bills that you attempted to write out at 9 p.m. after the kids were in bed and before Aunt Mable died can now be completed and mailed. It’s also a good time to complete errands such as doctor appointments and/or grocery shopping; especially considering the last half-filled grocery cart was left in the middle of the IGA aisle when the call came in for Uncle Buck. Yes, after nearly five years at the funeral home, it’s amazing what can be learned about “downtime” in the business. ~Roberta |
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