Funeral For The Unclaimed

Last evening I was reading my Facebook posts when I came across one regarding our county coroner who was have an internment of cremains this morning for seven people who have not been claimed by family or friends.

Six of them were between the ages of 57 years old and 80 years old and only one was a female. The 57 year old was homeless and froze to death last year in a local park.

The seventh, I have not been able to shake. It was a baby boy whose age was 7 months gestational, so I can only presume it was a miscarriage.

This morning, I got up, made my bed, ate breakfast, sat down to watch television and I just felt the Holy Spirit telling me, get up, get dressed and be there for those people who have no one and be there for that baby.

I don't like funerals and I decided I was not going to go. At 1019 I was getting dressed, putting on my lipstick, my shoes and on my way to an internment service for those people have forgotten.

I stopped and picked up a small orange Teddy Bear to be interned with that baby boy. I had to do something and even though his body is no longer with us, I can feel his soul.

I pulled in and the service was very dignified and peaceful. There was a white sun cover set up in the parking lot, a long table with a white table cloth, 6 large boxes and a very tiny box and all had a single red rose on them.

The coroner was there as well as the owner of the cemetery in what you would expect a funeral director to wear from the 1800's. There was a county chaplain, a patriot guard member with the flag, 2 women with small children, myself and a few other people.

What was missing was the stories about these men and this woman, who they were because there was no one there to tell them. There was no laughter about memories, no tears from a mom whose child did not make it.

Instead, there were strangers who didn't know the deceased and didn't know each other, but we all came together so those who died at least at the very end when they were being laid to rest had people who cared enough to get up, get dressed and be there.


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