Out of the mouths of children
Why me?
Why?
OK, for those of you who don’t know me, I have a very strong sense of humour, although possibly a bit twisted by my friends over the years. When I find something funny I laugh, although if it is an inappropriate moment I try to stifle it.
I went to visit a family today, and met with the wife, her children and grandchildren to discuss the funeral for her husband. Now, being a fairly family oriented person, i tried to involve the grandchildren a bit, especially since the presence of this stranger in the house must seem a bit weird. The conversation goes like this:-
Me:- Hello
Child:- Who are you then?
M:- I’m the vicar who will be doing the service next week
C:- The funeral?
M:- Thats right, yes
C:- What do you do at the funeral?
M:- I help people say goodbye to their loved ones who aren’t here anymore
C:- I’m going to say goodby to my grandad on monday, he’s in a fridge.
Now I’m sorry, but at this point, the proud declaration of the little lad, the look of shock on his mom’s face, and the laughter from the widow, I lost it and laughed as hard as I could. Mom just said “Well its the best way i could explain it to him”. I’ve heard of people being in heaven, with the angels, or even becoming a star, but the childs downright blunt honesty was somewhat refreshing, it certainly worked as an ice breaker with the family.
On a more serious not, how do we talk to children about death? Well, I’m of to visit another family, I have 5 funerals to conduct next week, so I’ll talk about that later.
February 3, 2008 at 11:15 pm
5 in one week sounds tough - trying to keep them all personal and appropriate to each individual without reaching for the platitudes must be a hard call.
All the best with it!
February 5, 2008 at 1:19 am
It is difficult, but then as long as you remember that we are all unique, it is possible. I must confess that in situations like this, which normally only occur during the winter months, the occassional sermon does get recycled, but as long as you visit the families, and more importantly listen to them, the rest is simple.
That and a good dose of coffee before sitting down to write the services.