Situational Awareness

After days of preparation and coordination, the morning of the funeral is "Gametime" for the funeral director. It isn't Hollywood where the director can say "Cut" and start over. You only get one shot to get it right.

There are so many variables to manage and direct that absolute situational awareness is a must. At any given time, there are family members, pall bearers, clergy, workers and caskets to direct to the correct place at the exact time they need to be there. Getting a fifty car funeral 35 miles through unknown traffic conditions to be standing at the back of the church at exactly the time the mass is supposed to start is a task of monumental proportions, yet the vast majority of funeral directos routinely pull it off without a hitch.

I think I made my point that a funeral director needs to be intimately aware of the surroundings to be successful. That being said, this example of complete and utter lack of situational awareness I witnessed and am about to share should astonish you.

I was sitting in a church on a beautiful Saturday morning about to witness one of my dearest friends marry his girlfriend of fourteen years. It was ten minutes before the ceremony. People were being escorted down to their seats. The Best Man was taking his place at the alter with the Groom about to appear. Anyone over the age of seven born on this planet would have known a wedding was about to commence.

That is, everyone but, I'm embarrased to say, a funeral director. At first, I was too stunned to comprehend the situation. I thought to myself, "That's odd, why would a florest bring the flowers ten minutes before a wedding starts." Besides, there are already flowers on the alter, and this piece the guy is placing RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE ALTER doesn't match the rest. What I didn't know at the time was that this particular floral arrangement had a ribbon placed neatly on the front that bore the words "Father/Uncle". The music soon started and I thought nothing of the flowers until after the mass.

After the beautiful and emotional ceremony, as I made my way out of the church, I noticed a funeral director I know standing in the vestibule right next to the guy who placed the flowers RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE ALTER ten minutes before the wedding started. Evidently, someone's Father/Uncle was about to be buried from this church in about thirty minutes. The guy was just doing what he was told, and didn't realize the wedding was first. I guess the two photographers flashing cameras, five groomsmen in tuxedos and several hundred people were not enough of a clue. For all I know, that might be standard for funerals in that part of the state.

I've often heard the cliche that, for the groom, the wedding ceremony is essentially his funeral. I guess this particular director took the joke literally.