Okay, so the title, "Talking to the Dead".... Might be a little misleading. They didn't verbally talk back. The title wasn't "Conversing Back and Forth with the Dead". I didn't have any fancy "Ghost Adventures" equipment, although I wish I had. I could still feel some of them there. Lingering.
__________________________________________________________________
I was alone a lot with the deceased.
I was never afraid of being alone with the them. In fact, the only time I would experience anxiety was when I would turn off all the lights and walk down the stairs from the office to exit the funeral home late at night. And I always found it odd that the only supernatural thing that my boss told me about was when he would be there late at night, he would often hear footsteps coming up the stairs. What was it with the stairs?
But other than that, I was never afraid nor creeped out by anything (well, there was one time, but that's another story). I never witnesses anything wildly supernatural happen at the funeral home. It always just felt like the souls that came through there only lingered while their mortal husks were there and then they left, off to wherever our souls go after we die.
During the day, if we had someone in our chapel, it meant that there was a lot of preparation to be done to make the deceased, and the service ready. Sometimes though there weren't any big services but just a few family members coming to spend the last few moments with their loved one. Either way, an immense amount of care had to be taken. And as I would prepare, I would talk to the deceased as if they were still there and we were just getting ready for the party in their honor.
One afternoon, I was in the chapel preparing for a service of a Veteran. His casket was open and I had to change out a few lights. I was chatting with him and letting him know what I was doing. Then I asked him to hold a case with a light bulb for me. I laid it to the side of him (by his arms) and went on changing lights. I was finished with that task and getting the ladder put away when the family came in.
What I didn't realize was that he was still "holding" the box with the light for me.
A mistake I would soon regret. They came in with my boss to find their loved one with the small box in his casket and asked what it was. I told them that I had asked him to hold a light bulb for me. My boss and a couple of the family members looked concerned, which upset me greatly. I was incredibly embarrassed by the mistake! I didn't want the family to ever think that I was just callously laying stuff in their loved ones casket for convenience.Of course, I quickly removed it and apologized profusely.
Then one of the family members pulled me aside, held my arms and said, "It's okay Shelly. After he left the military he did a lot of handyman work for people, and it included electrical. If he had been alive, he would have gladly held the light bulb for you".
That made me feel a little better. Only a little. Because afterward I got a harsh scolding from my boss and of course, never asked a dead person to hold anything for me again.
__________________________________________________________________
A part of my job was to be present at the services and assist the families with whatever they needed. I would hand out service folders, make sure everyone signed the guest book, play any songs or videos they needed during the services, make sure that there was coffee and that everything stayed clean and tidy, I would also check on the family members and asked them if there was anything they needed. This sometimes led to impromptu counseling sessions.
About every 15-20 minutes, I would check on the deceased to make sure their clothes and make-up were still in good order (grieving loved ones can sometimes mess up hair and clothing). When I would do my "check-ins" with their loved one, I would always talk to them and see how they were doing and let them know how loved they were.
At the end of some of the services, the family would want to witness me closing the casket. This was a very emotional task. It had to be done right: Moving the flowers, folding the fabric inside the casket and making sure the lid didn't slam shut. They family would usually gather around close so I had developed routine to make sure everything was done with perfection, grace and a whole lot of love. Just as the casket was about to close, I would, out loud, wish the dearly departed a fond farewell. "Safe journeys", I would say.
After everyone would leave the services, it was just me and the deceased in the funeral home. I had tasks to do for clean up and was always conversing with them if I was in their vicinity.
I was often sad about leaving them alone. But I had to go home and they had would spend the night in the peaceful funeral home preparing for their next step in the process of saying goodbye.
I believe that the energy, essence, or soul of the person lingered with them for a while. At least until the family said goodbye.
So I am slightly goofy lady that would hang out with the dead and talk to them, comfort them and let them know what was happening. To me, they were just sleeping. And I believe they heard every word I was saying to them.
They all answered me back- just not with words.
Lessons: Talk to the deceased. Be sensitive to their spirit.
Just don't ask them to hold anything for you...
Shelly Livingston
"Life Creates Art"
YouTuber, Blogger, Minister, Wife, Mom and Chick that Talks to the Dead
Commercials: Join us on YouTube! Click on the "Life Creates Art"
and LIKE, SUBSCRIBE and SHARE!
If you have liked reading this Blog, please comment! We love to hear from you!!!!
***Also check out our recommended products on Kit.com/LifeCreatesArt
The gift giving season is drawing near!
No comments:
Post a Comment