What’s another year? W
e are now one year on from the beginning of the pandemic, and as we face into what will hopefully be our last few months as we are all vaccinated, our industry has gone through some seismic changes. A year of only ten to twenty five mourners at a funeral service – some of our larger families literally having to draw names from a hat! A year which saw our crematoria set out like exam halls with all the seating spaced out. A year which saw many of us grapple with new technologies like Zoom, Team viewer, and Live storm in order to try and connect with our bereaved families. We got used to live streaming, a huge help in connecting families from around the world when they really needed each other. A year which saw many of our habits and social norms that we always took for granted, are
now frowned upon or even seen as alien! We have all missed giving that reassuring hug, that gentle pat on the back, that embrace, the friendly handshake, letting our families know that we are there for them - that we care. It’s been a year of fear, hope, disappointment, anger, sadness, banana bread, hand sanitizer, masks of various colours and designs, screens, yellow signs and arrows, cementing friendships, staying at home, and at times, utter exhaustion from the silent stresses the pandemic brings. But all the while, we as a professional caring industry rose to the many challenges that were presented to us, and we continue to mark the end of a life with sensitivities, gentleness and respect.
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