When we have a big day of pastoral ministry that involves the priestly functions of “marrying and burying,” there’s a lot to think about beyond the content of those rituals. We have to have ourselves together: directions to the cemetery, remember which funeral is at what time, did I pack a lunch or snack, am I dressed appropriately for everything I need to do, etc.
A few weeks ago, I had a cemetery interment at 11:00 and a funeral at church at 1pm, followed by a second commital. I woke up early to make sure I got everything in order. The first thing I realized was that my documents were not syncing with my Kindle. I love my Kindle for graveside services and rely on it. It is easy to hold, easy to read and manage, and it has this beautiful tooled leather cover [remember, dolls, you can click on each image to enlarge it! Like magic!]:
So I was dismayed!
And hadn’t done my hair and make-up or gotten dressed yet. I mailed myself everything to download onto my iPad which is much larger, harder to handle without a podium, and not nearly as pretty and ritual-appropriate. First, I got ready. OMG, my damned nails are BLUE!
Well, there’s nothing that can be done about that at this late date. I will simply dress in black with a hint of that blue color as an accent. Here’s me checking my outfit:
“OKAY, THAT’S A PLAN.”
Hair and make-up next –
Dry shampoo to add volume to my hair so I can tease it before putting it in a chignon.
Blend, blend, blend ze make-up!
Pray to the gods of Elnet as we — forgive the expression — spray the s&$% out of the ‘do and pray it stays put in the wind at the cemetery. I can do some repair work at church before the second funeral. This is the best hairspray in the world. It holds like a demon and brushes out very easily.
Don’t forget to feed the pooch and let him outside. He is clearly over it already.
Static cling on my skirt. I forgot my slip. There it is right on the back of my chair where I left it. Imagine that.
Almost out the door. Breathing deeply, praying, checking make-up before I leave the house:
On the way to the cemetery for visit #1, find out that they’re filming a MOVIE DOWN THE STREET. WTF!? Traffic nightmare and detour. Oh, great!
Stay calm. Think about the people, the family, the services. Everything is in that iPad. I also remembered to pack a lunch. I have my black umbrella, some handiwipes to put in my pocket so I can wipe off my hand after placing the first handful of soil on the casket. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust…
I took a minute to check in with you.
It was a demanding day but everything went well. Thanks for sharing the behind-the-scenes with me!
Wow. A big day. I’m sure you done good, and it looks like you deserve a real REST now. Take care of yourself, okay?
Thanks for the peek behind the scenes and for keeping it real. There’s a human being trying to do their best & work with what they’ve got behind every person we’ll meet today.
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