Why would you want to work with dead people?
by littlemissfuneral
I’ve noticed that I tend to not mention where I work when I meet new people. It’s not the I’m ashamed, because that’s hardly the case. I suppose that I just get tired of getting weird looks and answering a lot of questions. Because, you see, it’s always the same. I’ll throw into casual conversation that I happen to work with dead people and then I get the look. It’s a funny look really. It’s shock, mixed with the realization of knowing you looked shocked, followed by a failed attempt to cover it up with a smile. It doesn’t work. I already know you think I’m strange at this point. Next either comes fifty questions because you’re in a non threatening environment where you can ask me about the actual embalming process, the nervous “Well, at least you’ll always have a job!” line, or my favorite, “What ever made you want to do that?” question.
Well, what ever made me want to do this?
I’ve known what I’ve wanted to do ever since I was thirteen. Seriously. It wasn’t always funerals you know. At first I wanted to be a veterinarian but when my father told me it wasn’t about playing with puppies all day and if a dog was seriously sick I’d have to put it down I threw that out the window. After that I wanted to be a fourth grade teacher. Thank God I got over that. Sometime after I decided, “Hey, what about a funeral director!?” and it stuck. Thirteen years old. I must be crazy. Maybe, actually, probably.
I have family in the business you know. So maybe it’s not that weird. I know, it’s still weird, but at least since I told you that you feel a little better, right? I mean, it’s not like I was crawling around in graveyards when I was young. No, I started crawling around graveyards when I got into my late teens. They’re awesome places to take pictures but that’s not the point.
I want to help people. I want to make a difference. If I can make one of the worst possible events that will ever happen to someone a little less horrible, then I’m happy. That means more to me then you’ll ever know. Plus, I’m doing one of the corporal acts of mercy so I’m hoping to score some points with the Big Guy.
If you walk away with one thought after reading this I hope it’s this one. Funeral Directors have difficult jobs. Please don’t forget that. Have you ever lost someone? Probably. Do you remember how you felt? Sad, possibly angry. If you were angry who did you take it out on? Most likely someone who was convenient. Someone who you probably wouldn’t see again so it didn’t matter if you were rude and difficult to them. Perhaps, your Funeral Director? It’s not fair. I work twelve-hour days, sixty hour weeks sometimes for you. To serve your family. To make a difficult time a little bit easier on you. People have told me in the past that I give good hugs you know. Seriously, they have. If you want one all you have to do is ask. Maybe it will make you feel a little bit better, who knows.
little miss funeral 
Lauren this was awesome. Very intetesting and well written. And I do have a question. Have you ever seen a spirit or ghost while at work?
Thank you so much Cindy! Have I ever sen a spirit or ghost? No. Have there been peculiar instances while I’ve been working in the funeral home? Yes.
I’ll give you two examples.
The funeral home where I work is an old Victorian house, it’s very beautiful. Our office is upstairs, and one night I was finishing up paper work alone. I heard footsteps coming up the stairs. When I went to see who had come in there was no one there.
We have an answering service for when we leave at night, so any calls we get that aren’t “death calls” will be saved until we come in the next morning. When the phones are forwarded to the service, if someone calls our funeral home the phones will ring twice then stop. I came into work one day to the phone ringing. I figured the phones were forwarded so didn’t rush to answer, however after the third ring I thought that I might have forgotten to forward them the day before. I ran into the office, answered the phone, but the line was dead. Confused, I hung up. The moment I hung up he phone it rang again. I answered it; same thing. Hung up, and the phone rang a THIRD time. I answered it, found it dead, hung up and said “Are you kidding me!?” The phone then stopped ringing.
Weird things have happened. Not too strange, though. The weird part is though, I never get nervous at moments like these, which is not like me. I’m the girl who is always nervous walking down a street at night, or extremely cautious when talking to strangers. I figure that if a spirit wants to mess with me they’re just having fun. They know I’m just trying to help the person they love. At least, I hope they know it.