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| 22 TODAY’S CATHOLIC | CEMETERY FOCUS | JULY 3, 1998 | |
The ground rules: You’d better take this call, now . . .
The morning got off to a jump start, as usual. Fifteen minutes into the workday and already half a dozen issues had been tackled and resolved (All before the first sip of coffee, I might add). The receptionist comes in and says, "I think you’d better take this call now. The lady on the phone said she brought a dead dog to the cemetery!" It might have been just my imagination, but I could have sworn the look on her face said, "Okay, let’s see you handle THIS one." My mind raced trying to figure out all the possible reasons someone might do this. Bringing dead animals on cemetery property is clearly not authorized, but . . . maybe someone found a dead animal, or maybe they think we have a pet section, or could it be a cult thing, or . . . better just pick up the phone and find out. When I answered the phone, the young woman’s voice on the other end was kind of quiet, as I heard . . . "I think I may have caused you some problems . . . " and silence. I thought I heard sobbing. I asked the lady to tell me what had happened. This time I know I heard her crying and she said, "My little boy’s puppy died last night . . . " There were some sobs and silence once again. After a little coaxing and a reassurance that everything would be all right she began to tell me her story. She told me that her father had just recently passed away a few months earlier. I imagined how difficult it must have been for her and her child to cope with their loss (I remembered how much I missed my own grandfather when he died). She went on to say that she had bought a small puppy for her child and that when it died she didn’t know exactly what to do or how to break the news to her son. (Again, I had a quick flashback to when my own dog, who had been with our family almost fourteen years, had to be put to sleep.) She told her son that everything would be okay. She said grandpa would take care of the puppy and they would both be happy together. (I was having trouble keeping a dry eye.) She told me that she knew she shouldn’t have brought the dog to the cemetery but she didn’t know what else to do. She was calling to let us know that we would find a small bundle wrapped in a white towel over her father’s grave. I made a mental note to add this lady and her son to my special thoughts list as I told her we would take care of everything. I thanked her for calling me and as I said good-bye and wished her well, I knew I had just been reminded of another one of life’s wonderful lessons.
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