“When I was young,” Margaret began, “I expected to graduate from college, get married, and have adorable babies. What I didn’t expect were the turning points that led to raising our children in a series of funeral homes!
I was a P.E. teacher when a friend introduced me to a cute mortician—my future husband, Chuck. Chuck was not only cute, he was ambitious, so right away we bought our first funeral home. Then, as the children came along, we lived in one funeral home after another, in multiple states. I admit, it was sometimes a little tricky to keep our happy children quiet in one part of our house while the solemn sounds of a funeral were happening in the other part, but eventually our son and daughter learned it was “quiet time” when the organ was playing. Actually, living in funeral homes gave our family an atmosphere of serenity and calm. Our quiet “guests” never disturbed us … and, no, we never saw a ghost!
Our first date was New Year’s Eve in a small Apartment at a funeral home in SF. A classmate of my future mate hosted. Just the beginning.
Margaret and Chuck had the unique opportunity to teach their kids another Fact of Life.
She is a calm, matter-of-fact woman who probably helped other kids as well to understand this.
When we were young, death was not a common bit of family conversation.
Love it. I guess you didn’t have to explain death to the children 🤣