Loving Connections

I am deeply grateful for the loving connections I have made through work and for my husband.

It has been hectic this week, and the funeral directors, funeral arrangers, funeral teams and no doubt the members of the clergy and celebrants, have all been called upon to be nimble with our thinking, speaking and actions.

My heart beats with gratitude for all the loving souls who have taken phone calls and emails where details have got muddled. We have the knowledge and experience of working together for several years (thank goodness), and we know each other well enough to manage things lovingly together.

The odd joke helps!

I fired off an email early one morning, in which I jumbled two service details together, so the unfortunate funeral arranger left me a pleading voicemail. My phone was on silent at the time because I was writing, so when I called her back, my opening line was,

‘It’s official. I am a ****’

She roared with laughter and was relieved when I explained what I had done. Clarity was restored.

Things went a bit awry a few days ago, just as I was arriving for a family meeting, and a bereaved lady stepped forward as if she had been a friend of many years. I was so touched by her kindness, I’ve made her a ‘thank you’ pressie. Those who know me well will be saying,

‘No, get away, Jane. Have you? What a surprise!’

During a slide into the unexpected, Tim was my knight in shining armour. He took charge, looked after me and got everything back on an even keel, whilst cooking our evening meal for two days in a row.

One of our lovely families has a central Maypole at their core, and this week, she hit a wall. It was understandable and natural that she ran out of steam, and in the stillness, her family got a bit carried away. This is how the funeral director’s team and I realised that the arrangements were taking a detour. Lovingly, we helped them get their ducks back in a row, and balance was restored.

At a service this week, a beautiful little girl was part of the congregation. A local event meant we had all arrived early, to miss the anticipated traffic jams, so we had time before the ceremony started. The little one was so excited about all the trees, and the differently coloured leaves, and we pottered about collecting them along with a few daisies and dandelions. She knows all her colours and set about showing her treasures to everyone. It was a joy to see her potter about during the ceremony, with her happy chatter, and for me, she added a magic touch to the proceedings. I could see concern etched across her parents’ faces, and I gave them a reassuring look, smiled and mouthed, ‘She’s lovely.’ Afterwards, we pottered about together, collecting the broken flowers that had been blown by the wind from the arrangements that are sometimes left behind, and she gifted them to her loved ones. As we left, she stood and stroked the trunk of a little silver birch tree. I opened my arms and we chatted our way across the car park. She shines with a special light and proudly shared that she is a whole two years old.

All the events of this week have flown flags for how love, patience, listening and pausing make such a difference. In our group, that loving energy wraps around us all, and around the families under our caring umbrella. I am so fortunate to also have this at home. 💕