|
|
 |
|
|
Step Into Our Lives at the Funeral Home
Jo Michaelson
|
|
|
Death, Value and Meaning Series, Dale A. Lund, Series Editor
You can read the
Introduction for free right now, just click here.
IN PRAISE OF
"Dr. Michaelson provides a light-hearted and yet most compassionate look into the uncomfortable and largely private practices surrounding death, funerals, bereavement, the grief process, and recovery from loss. Her experiences from her family’s funeral home and, later, as a trained psychotherapist provide a very readable and informative resource for professionals, their spouses, students, and those dealing with or anticipating a death, as well as being of interest to the general reader."
—Pastor Bert Burwell, A.i.M., Salem Lutheran Church, ELCA
"Most of us have experienced the anxieties surrounding death and have questions about the timeframe between death and burial. This book contains anecdotal gems of information and insights that will be helpful to many readers. Although this is, in itself, valuable, there is much more. It is a firsthand account of the life of a funeral director and his family, living out their commitment to serving people at the time of greatest human vulnerability. This shines through with great clarity. The stories that the children relate also give a picture of the humor and warmth that was such a vital part of this family and became, at times, a healing balm."
—Dr. O. J. “Chris” Christensen, Professor Emerita, Division of Counseling and Psychology, The University of South Dakota
"The writer was able to capture the connectedness of life and death. The vignettes demonstrate how career is a life’s course and how a family living and loving in a funeral home learns reverence for the dead and grows in greater service for the living. The facts surrounding the work of the funeral director and the realities experienced by the family members living in the funeral home blend in ways that provide a backdrop of love and caring for humanity."
—Dr. Joan T. England, Professor Emerita, Division of Counseling and Psychology, The University of South Dakota
ABOUT THE BOOK
Many people are curious about what goes on behind the scenes at a funeral home. Add a live-in family to this scenario, and you'll Step Into Our Lives at the Funeral Home.
"Shh! Be quiet! There's someone at the door!"
"Don't ever talk about anything you have seen or heard concerning someone's death outside the walls of our home. Mourning families need to know they can trust our integrity and our ability to keep confidentiality."
For the author's family, these admonitions were ingrained in the children's minds at an early age. This book gives an insightful view of every facet of the funeral, from the time a death call is received until the funeral is completed. Stories of days in the ambulance business in conjunction with the funeral home are also related. The funeral director's role, the spouse's role, the children's role, and how the children thrived in an atmosphere of death are shared with the reader. How funeral directors cope with stress and how wives cope with their husbands during these times are revealed. Years later, following a tragic death, three people look back and share their stories of moving from despair to recovery.
Interspersed through every chapter are stories and vignettes shared by many funeral directors throughout the Midwest, concerning the lifestyle for the family living in the funeral home and true incidents of specific funerals. Some stories are sad. Others are tragic. A few are humorous. Embracing faith, hope, and love is a primary requisite for healing.
Intended audience: General readers of all ages, funeral home directors, hospice patients, mortuary students, and people who have had a loved one die by natural means or tragedy.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
 |
For 23 years, Dr. Jo Michaelson was co-owner of a funeral home, which was also a family residence. She has a B.S. from Iowa State University, M.A. in counseling, and Ed.D. in educational psychology from the University of South Dakota. Jo Michaelson has been a teacher, guidance counselor, high school drop-out counselor, CASA volunteer, hospice volunteer, Sunday school teacher, and psychotherapist. At age 83, she is now retired. Her husband died in 1997. She has three children and four grandchildren. Two cats keep her company in her four-bedroom home in Kingsley, Iowa.
|
|
| Baywood Publishing Company, Inc. |
| Phone: 631 691-1270 |
|
Fax: 631 691-1770 |
|
Toll free order line: 800-638-7819 |
|
Email: info@baywood.com |
|
|
|
