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Cemetery Workplace Oddities
Each morning my two-minute commute brings me to the entrance of a cemetery in our community in the mid-west. Not just a cemetery, but a complex that includes a Crematorium, a Mausoleum, a Funeral Home, a Pet Crematorium, and an Events Center building for funeral receptions. My co-workers number a little over one hundred and twenty, so we are part of the “death care industry”, or more like a “one-stop shopping experience for the newly bereaved.
My decade-long tenure here has taught me WAY more about the death and dying process than I ever thought I would know. You could count that as either a plus or a minus I suppose. I am never at a loss for conversation once anyone finds out about my place of employment. Working with families in crisis has shown me that every one of them brings a new issue to be considered as we make plans for their loved ones.
The cemetery welcomes dog walkers and exercise strolls and runners, hoping they will stay on the paved surfaces and pick up after their dogs, and keep them leashed. Many will come and park in the cemetery while they eat lunch for the peace and serenity my daily workplace offers. We have a beautiful pond with swans who often have their current brood of cygnets in a line behind them, gliding along under the willows.
However, I have seen some strange sights here. A young mother decided our big stone…
