Hello, my name is Jessica. I’m 40 years old, and I am about to embark on a career that I’ve always dreamed of doing: Being a Funeral Director.

I get asked a lot, like, A LOT, why I want to be a funeral director, and my response is usually that I really love helping people. It might seem like a generic response, and it certainly goes a bit deeper.

Being able to help people during one of the most difficult and unimaginably difficult times of their life, even if it’s just because I brought them some water and reminded them to hydrate, that’s all I want to do.

As a person who has spent so much time under the weight of imposter syndrome and second guessing everything I’ve done, I can honestly say that I never once felt like I don’t belong in the funeral home environment. Speaking on most topics feels natural, words flowing from my mouth with a clarity far different from what I have experienced before because there is more passion that I’ve known behind the knowledge that I keep.

Some days I come home and wonder “Did I do enough to help this person and their family?”, which is just a side effect of the job at hand. I’d suggest it’s a side effect of every job where you’re trying to get someone through something, no matter how big or small it may seem to others.

Every now and then, I have an experience with a person or family that we’re are serving, and that re-enforces to me that I belong where I am, and reminds me why I love what I do. Either by coincidence or appointment, having the opportunity to bring someone out of their shell a bit because they feel comfortable enough to share something with me is such a special feeling.

It is difficult to trust a stranger, and the ultimate vulnerability is letting a complete stranger take your loved one into their care, share their stories and what they meant to you, and to walk them through the journey of that person’s life as you struggle along your own journey of grief. Whenever someone allows me to walk with them on that journey, even if it’s just a few steps, I feel so incredibly grateful.

I have had the opportunity to do so many cool things in my life, and many of them have helped me hone skills necessary for this journey into funeral directing. I finally feel, however, that I have arrived to my calling, and even on the most difficult and exhausting of days, the most sleepless of nights, the most frustrating of experiences, I know I’m finally doing what I was meant to do.

One of my much larger goals is to help educate people on what they need to know, and answer the questions a lot of people are afraid to ask. I hope to shed some light on everything you might need to know about planning a funeral for yourself, your loved one, or helping a friend or colleague through their process of planning a funeral.

We have a sign on the door of our prep room at the funeral home where I work. The prep room is where the care of the deceased takes place, and it is on the other side of the building from our arrangement conference room. The sign reminds us that “We do this every day. The families we serve do not”. As we exit the prep room and prepare to meet with the friends and families and loved ones, it is our responsibility to make sure everyone understand all of the details, bit and small, that make up the funeral process, and beyond.

My personal goal is to take that reminder beyond the walls of the funeral home. Let me help you learn how to prepare for whatever might come next. No question is weird, silly, small, or not worth asking. I’m always happy to remind you of that as we navigate what makes the most sense for your and your person.