A Funeral Director Goes to Disney World

As far as I am aware, there has never been a funeral at Disney World. I could be wrong, but I don't think it has happened yet.
     However, there are plenty of people out there who have been both to funerals and to Disney World. There is a slightly smaller group of people who work in the funeral profession and who have been to Disney World. I am one of these people. In the midst of walking the crowded streets of Disney World last week, I couldn't get funerals off my mind. Granted, there are marked differences between the two:

Disney World is loud. Funerals, typically, are not. 

Funerals are sad. Disney World, typically, is not.

Disney World has cotton candy. Funerals, typically, do not. (Although I have served banana popsicles at a funeral).

You get the picture. 

The similarities, however, are a bit more interesting.

Hurry Up and Wait.

     Disney World, and most theme parks for that matter, are known for long lines and lots of waiting around. Turns out, so are visitations and funerals. People who attend visitations and funerals know this. And I know this because I see another side of the story.....we funeral professionals wait around a lot. We wait around on people to show up, and on paperwork to come in, and on a multitude of other things that simply have to be waited on by someone. Our unwritten motto is, "Hurry up and wait." We rush to remove a body. Then we wait while the family decides what to do. We start the embalming process. Then we wait to let it all sink in. We rush, rush, rush to get to a church on time with all the right things. And then we wait. Until it's time to rush, rush, rush to get all the things to the cemetery, where we'll just wait again. There seems to be lots of people watching and quite a bit of small talk in both situations. The only difference I can find is that waiting at Disney World usually leads to a fun roller coaster. Funerals, not so much.

Weather Dependent

     Rain, snow, sleet, shine. Weather is so uncontrollable. Ever been to a rainy funeral? What about to a rainy day at Disney World? They are both pretty bad. Have any sunburns that you lived to tell about? Yeah, those happen at gravesides too. Splash Mountain is not so fun in chilly temperatures. Neither is working in the dark twilight of a cold winter's night to get a grave filled after a late funeral. Still, I'd rather have bad weather at a funeral than at Disney World. Just saying.

Meltdowns

     One stroll around Magic Kingdom and you're guaranteed to hear some children crying. Meltdowns happen. I get it. Trust me, I get it. People cry all the time at funerals. The tears are nothing to be ashamed of in either case, but I find funeral tears slightly more tolerable than Disney World tears.

Transportation

     There are lots of moving parts at Disney World. So it goes for funerals. I lost count of how many buses and ferry-boats and mono-rails I boarded over the course of the short vacation. Each one was headed somewhere I needed to go and would arrive there within a fairly reasonable amount of time. It makes one marvel at the amounts of energy expended and consumed in that small corner of the world. It feels the same way at funerals sometimes. Hearses, family cars, flower vans, lead cars, clergy cars, dump trucks, vault trucks, church trucks, removal cots, etc. The funeral business has a lot of vehicles, each with a very specific job, and usually on a very specific schedule. Disney Parade.......Funeral Procession. Think about it.

Behind the Scenes

    This one is worth saying again: there are lots of moving parts at Disney World. I had on adult eyes while visiting the parks this time, and as I watched the cast workers, I caught a glimpse of all the little details that make Disney World "magical." Funerals are kind of the same way. There is a ton of behind the scenes work that goes into a funeral. Many people have no idea exactly how many things must be taken care of in short windows of time to get a funeral off without a hitch. While the funeral business hasn't integrated towels folded into animal shapes or standard issue mouse ears for the average funeral goer, I do have a few casket-shaped novelties like keychains and notepads. Not as cool as Mickey Mouse. But still. 

Until next time,

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things [Mountain Edition]

When you live in the mountains, everyone assumes you are mountainous. That is, you hike (unlike those "flat-landers"), you know how to evade bears, you buy/eat local, and that you don't have any trouble with losing power for extended periods of time. While these things may or may not be true about me, I am doing my best to blend in with the locals.

Some of my favorite things:
1. Carrying a backpack wherever I go and not getting weird looks.
2. Stocking that backpack with lots of neat stuff such as snacks, water, my camera, a flashlight, work supplies and even a first aid kit.
3. Walking down the mountain to work.
4. The creek outside my window.
5. Afternoon rain showers.
6. Learning about random things one can only learn about at conferences---e.g.- The decision making process for the 2013 hymnal and hymnody in general (Speaker: Mary Louis Bringle; Info: http://presbyterianhymnal.org/)

Not so favorite things:
1. Lugging a backpack around.
2. Working long hours.
3. Walking back up the mountain to get home from work.
4. Extreme temperature fluctuations.
5. Getting caught outside in thunderstorms and braving the wind, rain, and falling limbs to make it inside.
6. Sitting (or standing) through upwards of 4 lectures a day and dealing with sound/technical problems as I pretend to know what I am doing.

All in all, it's not so bad.

Lake Susan and The Left Bank 

 

Porch of the South Carolina Home 

Wildflowers 

"Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God." Psalm 90:1-2 (ESV)

Peru pictures...there are more on Facebook...

Children at Casa Josephina

Baby Zoe

The whole group in front of the finished playground

Peruvian countryside

Fabrisio

Surveying the landscape

Melissa and me at Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu

Peru 2010

Our team of 18 youth and adults spent 10 days in and around Cusco, Peru this June. After flying all day and spending all night in the Lima Airport, we arrived without a scratch in Cusco. Let me paint the picture—very brown and dusty, lots of dogs, crazy drivers, and lots of Spanish flying around.

The team worked in conjunction with Keith and Ruth Powlison (full time missionaries in Peru) building outdoor and indoor playgrounds at the Josephine House orphanage. We used oil based paint, most of which stayed on our hands instead of on the walls. In our extra time, we also worked on projects at their home (dry-walling ceilings and tiling bathrooms---the Powlisons have lived in this home for 12 years and it is still unfinished).

We stayed in a cozy little hotel in the heart of San Jeronimo complete with breakfast every morning (great coffee!) and two of the best staff members I have ever met. Cesar, 15, lived under the staircase of the hotel and was willing to do anything we needed him to do. Miriam, early 20’s, was an excellent cook. We all came to care for these two—a good reminder that mission work is not always cut and dried. Oftentimes it comes up in the most ordinary of places, such as gas stations and hotels, and in forms such as clearing your own dishes or offering a piece of cake to the 15 year old under the stairs. The smiles on their faces would melt your heart. I know that looking back on this trip, Miriam and Cesar will always pop into my mind.

Most of our meals were served alongside the children at the Josephine House or at the Powlisons. Everything was pretty normal (taco salad, pizza subs, black beans and rice), but then came the cuy. Otherwise known as guinea pig. Yes, guinea pig. And yes, I ate it. Lol. Think…dark meat chicken. There was not much meat on it, but there was a claw. Based on the reactions I have gotten from friends and family, I know you are grossed out by now, so I will stop talking about it, haha. Other interesting things to eat came in a Brazilian steakhouse we visited. Again, you had your normal cuts of beef, chicken, and pork. Then came the cow hearts. And the chicken gizzards. Yum. The last weird thing was in a buffet at Machu Picchu—alpaca. I will admit, I felt a little funny eating it, especially after thinking of the soft alpaca blankets I bought, but at least I can say I tried it.

We did get to attend a church service while in Peru. There was some praise music, a message about the 10 lepers, and lots of Spanish. I caught a lot of it, but the thing that stuck out to me the most was the praying. The young man leading the service was very humble and sincere. He kept saying, “Gracias, papa…” thanking his heavenly father for his family, his money, his life and his home. The service was very simple, yet moving. It was a good reminder of the universal nature of worship. We also had group devotions every night discussing the Beatitudes.

Despite the narrow roads and cramped quarters, we also got to visit a mountain school and perform our skit/make balloon animals. We got lost going up, so our trip turned into a 2 hr jeep ride complete with a donkey blocking the road and lots of horn honking (apparently whoever honks first has the right of way and the other person has to back up). Our other big adventure was to Machu Picchu- it was great going up and the actual ruin was amazing. Our tour guide, Sylvia, was hilarious; only a few language differences (wirgins, bysteries, and queers/virgins, mysteries, and squares). BUT, the ride down was a little rough. The train in front of us was “de-railed,” meaning it jumped a little bit off the track, nothing serious. It set us back 4 hours though. We even had to walk through part of the de-railed train and then get off and walk beside the track for a while. We waited for PJ, Andrew, and Melissa (who were a few cars behind us) and met some nice backpackers—one guy from the UK and a girl from Boston. We got back around 2:00 the next morning (Mrs. Beth and Ms. Penny were extremely worried). Cesar and the owner of the hotel had potato soup waiting for us. A few hours later, we boarded our plane to Lima and the group settled into the South American Missions (SAM) House for our last couple of days. I had to leave that night, so we all headed out to downtown Lima and toured around some. We saw the changing of the guard, saw some of the nightlife, and then I said my goodbyes and headed off to meet my family in Boston for our New England vacation.

Needless to say, after 59 total hours of traveling in 3 weeks (21 hrs flying, 38 hrs driving), hitting 4 states, Canada, and Peru, I was glad to make it home.

Continued prayer concerns: The Josephine House is mostly in need of good, reliable staff. Many of the issues that face daycares in the US are also present in Peru. The kids (some of which are handicapped/have Down’s): Moses, Jose, Daniel, Catalina, Veronica, Fabiola, Fabrisio, Zoe… are all wonderful. They are content to just sit in your lap and play with blocks. All they need is love and attention. It is so wonderful that they have a place to stay and good food to eat, but there is always a need for more.

On our last day of work, a new baby was dropped off at the orphanage. She has a severe cleft palate and has to be fed with a medicine dropper (pending surgery). When we left, she was staying at the Powlison’s home because she required so much extra attention. Ruth named her Zoe and we all took turns feeding her. Please pray for wisdom surrounding all the decisions that will need to be made regarding her housing and surgery options.

Also, it is important to keep the Powlison family and another missionary family that we met, Scott and Megan, as they are full time missionaries in this area.

Praises for safe travels and health for our team. It was a wonderful trip and I hope to do more trips like this in the future.

Bullet points from my journal:

- Natalie stuffing the pillowcase in the cold air vent on the van to Atlanta

- Playing Dutch Blitz in the airport with Pastor Roberts and Ms. Penny

- Not flushing toilet paper (the pipes are too small)…and yes, the water spins the other way

- Cramming into the Toyota

- COLD showers

- Blankets so heavy you couldn’t move

- Brushing your teeth with bottled water

- Lots of bread (and coffee)

- Winter Solstice celebration—sacrificing a llama

- Kids are kids, no matter where you go. If you build them a playground…they will still play in the dirt.

- Also, it doesn’t matter what shape the balloon starts out as (a dog, a sword, a hat…usually all three), it eventually becomes a worm.

- Peruvian time—it teaches patience

- Singing Happy Birthday 16 times for Sarah, then 18 times the next day for Andrew (it also teaches patience)

- Tangentines

- Oil paint doesn’t wash off

- The 2 hr drive up to the village. On a one lane dirt road. In a tiny Jeep. With 8 people. We got lost…Scott said he could see Chile, lol

- Singing hymns in the lobby (Amazing Grace, Come thou fount, Turn your eyes)

- Chapstick

- The dead cow on the side of the road and the man with the knife walking a little further down

- Yogurt on French toast

- Zoe- the baby that was dropped off on our last day of work-she is only a few weeks old and has a severe cleft palate

- Machu Picchu and our horror movie checklist

- Domino’s pizza in Lima

- The changing of the guard

- My solo flights from Lima to Miami and then from Miami to Boston

For more information on the Josephine House, visit: http://web.mac.com/kppowlison/iWeb/Josephine%20House/Welcome.html