Ain't She Pretty: Looking Back - A Funeral Director's Memoirs PDF Download
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Author: Barry J. Kughn
Publisher: Xulon Press
ISBN: 9781545658772
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 320
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Book Description
Many think of a funeral home as a somber, depressing place. However, the word "home" means it is a place of comfort and a place that brims with life rather than death. "Funerals are for the living" is a commonly known truth. Families who come to a funeral home are often tired from the events leading up to their loved one's death. Sometimes they are traumatized by a sudden death, and sometimes people come to a funeral home to express support, encouragement, and respect for friends. Meeting each person's needs can be overwhelming, but it is an honor and, in many ways, a positive challenge. In this book, I want to share what it is like to be the person who comforts others, lightens their mood, encourages them, and helps them make decisions when they can sometimes barely think. In my case, the role of a funeral director is one that dates back to childhood. I was a "preacher's kid" who accompanied my father to many funerals. Sometimes afterward, especially if a pet had died, I would carry out a funeral in my own back yard, using my bicycle for a hearse, a tiny box for a casket, and garden flowers to decorate a grave. I chose to attend Mortuary College while working at a funeral home and found the work to be fulfilling. Since my first job at a funeral home, I have been amazed at how the human condition plays out in this comforting place. People share memories at a funeral home, they express grief through tears and laughter, and they sometimes return to say thanks to the funeral director who helped them find meaning after a loss. A funeral director is always blessed with families who become regular clientele when they suffer loss, thus a funeral director creates a following and close bond of friendships built on trust and a thankful heart. I hope you enjoy sharing with me in Looking Back to many of my experiences in my life's work in my hometown of Anniston, Alabama.
Author: Barry J. Kughn
Publisher: Xulon Press
ISBN: 9781545658772
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 320
Get Book Here
Book Description
Many think of a funeral home as a somber, depressing place. However, the word "home" means it is a place of comfort and a place that brims with life rather than death. "Funerals are for the living" is a commonly known truth. Families who come to a funeral home are often tired from the events leading up to their loved one's death. Sometimes they are traumatized by a sudden death, and sometimes people come to a funeral home to express support, encouragement, and respect for friends. Meeting each person's needs can be overwhelming, but it is an honor and, in many ways, a positive challenge. In this book, I want to share what it is like to be the person who comforts others, lightens their mood, encourages them, and helps them make decisions when they can sometimes barely think. In my case, the role of a funeral director is one that dates back to childhood. I was a "preacher's kid" who accompanied my father to many funerals. Sometimes afterward, especially if a pet had died, I would carry out a funeral in my own back yard, using my bicycle for a hearse, a tiny box for a casket, and garden flowers to decorate a grave. I chose to attend Mortuary College while working at a funeral home and found the work to be fulfilling. Since my first job at a funeral home, I have been amazed at how the human condition plays out in this comforting place. People share memories at a funeral home, they express grief through tears and laughter, and they sometimes return to say thanks to the funeral director who helped them find meaning after a loss. A funeral director is always blessed with families who become regular clientele when they suffer loss, thus a funeral director creates a following and close bond of friendships built on trust and a thankful heart. I hope you enjoy sharing with me in Looking Back to many of my experiences in my life's work in my hometown of Anniston, Alabama.
Author: Sheri Booker
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1592407625
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 274
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Book Description
A dazzling and darkly comic memoir about coming of age in a black funeral home in Baltimore Sheri Booker was only fifteen when she started working at Wylie Funeral Home in West Baltimore. She had no idea her summer job would become nine years of immersion into a hidden world. Reeling from the death of her beloved great aunt, Sheri found comfort in the funeral home and soon had the run of the place. With AIDS and gang violence threatening to wipe out a generation of black men, Wylie was never short on business. As families came together to bury one of their own, Booker was privy to their most intimate moments of grief and despair. But along with the sadness, Booker encountered moments of dark humor: brawls between mistresses and widows, and car crashes at McDonald’s with dead bodies in tow. While she never got over her terror of the embalming room, Booker learned to expect the unexpected and to never, ever cry. Nine Years Under offers readers an unbelievable glimpse into an industry in the backdrop of all our lives.
Author: Kristin Hannah
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
ISBN: 1429927844
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 532
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Book Description
From the New York Times bestselling author Kristin Hannah comes a powerful novel of love, loss, and the magic of friendship. . . . now a #1 Netflix series! In the turbulent summer of 1974, Kate Mularkey has accepted her place at the bottom of the eighth-grade social food chain. Then, to her amazement, the "coolest girl in the world" moves in across the street and wants to be her friend. Tully Hart seems to have it all---beauty, brains, ambition. On the surface they are as opposite as two people can be: Kate, doomed to be forever uncool, with a loving family who mortifies her at every turn. Tully, steeped in glamour and mystery, but with a secret that is destroying her. They make a pact to be best friends forever; by summer's end they've become TullyandKate. Inseparable. So begins Kristin Hannah's magnificent new novel. Spanning more than three decades and playing out across the ever-changing face of the Pacific Northwest, Firefly Lane is the poignant, powerful story of two women and the friendship that becomes the bulkhead of their lives. From the beginning, Tully is desperate to prove her worth to the world. Abandoned by her mother at an early age, she longs to be loved unconditionally. In the glittering, big-hair era of the eighties, she looks to men to fill the void in her soul. But in the buttoned-down nineties, it is television news that captivates her. She will follow her own blind ambition to New York and around the globe, finding fame and success . . . and loneliness. Kate knows early on that her life will be nothing special. Throughout college, she pretends to be driven by a need for success, but all she really wants is to fall in love and have children and live an ordinary life. In her own quiet way, Kate is as driven as Tully. What she doesn't know is how being a wife and mother will change her . . . how she'll lose sight of who she once was, and what she once wanted. And how much she'll envy her famous best friend. . . . For thirty years, Tully and Kate buoy each other through life, weathering the storms of friendship---jealousy, anger, hurt, resentment. They think they've survived it all until a single act of betrayal tears them apart . . . and puts their courage and friendship to the ultimate test. Firefly Lane is for anyone who ever drank Boone's Farm apple wine while listening to Abba or Fleetwood Mac. More than a coming-of-age novel, it's the story of a generation of women who were both blessed and cursed by choices. It's about promises and secrets and betrayals. And ultimately, about the one person who really, truly knows you---and knows what has the power to hurt you . . . and heal you. Firefly Lane is a story you'll never forget . . . one you'll want to pass on to your best friend.
Author: Merrick Abner Richardson
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Frontier and pioneer life
Languages : en
Pages : 444
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Book Description
Author: Mark Twain
Publisher: Good Press
ISBN:
Category : Literary Collections
Languages : en
Pages : 7928
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Book Description
The Complete Works of Mark Twain: Novels, Short Stories, Memoirs, Travel Books & More (Illustrated) is a comprehensive collection of the iconic author's most famous works. Mark Twain's literary style is characterized by wit, humor, and a keen observation of human nature. This collection includes classics such as 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,' 'Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,' and 'The Prince and the Pauper,' showcasing Twain's ability to capture the spirit of his time. With its rich storytelling and unforgettable characters, this book is a testament to Twain's enduring legacy in American literature. Mark Twain, born Samuel Clemens, was a renowned American author and humorist known for his sharp wit and social commentary. Twain's personal experiences, including his time as a Mississippi riverboat pilot, greatly influenced his writing and shaped his distinctive storytelling voice. His works continue to resonate with readers of all ages and backgrounds, making him a beloved figure in literary history. I highly recommend The Complete Works of Mark Twain to readers who appreciate classic literature and timeless storytelling. Twain's works offer a unique glimpse into 19th-century America while addressing universal themes that remain relevant today. Whether you are a longtime fan of Twain or new to his writing, this collection is sure to captivate and entertain.
Author: Mark Twain
Publisher: e-artnow
ISBN: 8027230314
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 7920
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Book Description
This carefully edited collection has been designed and formatted to the highest digital standards and adjusted for readability on all devices. Contents: Novels The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Adventures of Huckleberry Finn The Gilded Age The Prince and the Pauper A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court The American Claimant Tom Sawyer Abroad Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc Pudd'nhead Wilson Tom Sawyer, Detective A Horse's Tale The Mysterious Stranger Novelettes A Double Barrelled Detective Story Those Extraordinary Twins The Recent Carnival of Crime in Connecticut The Stolen White Elephant The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg Captain Stormfield's Visit to Heaven Short Story Collections The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County and Other Sketches Mark Twain's (Burlesque) Autobiography and First Romance Sketches New and Old Merry Tales The £1,000,000 Bank Note and Other New Stories The $30,000 Bequest and Other Stories The Curious Republic of Gondour and Other Whimsical Sketches Alonzo Fitz, and Other Stories Mark Twain's Library of Humor Other Stories Essays, Satires & Articles How to Tell a Story, and Other Essays What Is Man? And Other Essays Editorial Wild Oats Letters from the Earth Concerning the Jews To the Person Sitting in Darkness To My Missionary Critics Christian Science Queen Victoria's Jubilee Essays on Paul Bourget The Czar's Soliloquy King Leopold's Soliloquy Adam's Soliloquy Essays on Copyrights Other Essays Travel Books The Innocents Abroad A Tramp Abroad Roughing It Old Times on the Mississippi Life on the Mississippi Following the Equator Some Rambling Notes of an Idle Excursion Down the Rhône The Lost Napoleon Mark Twain's Notebook The Complete Speeches The Complete Letters Autobiography Biographies... Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835-1910), better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher and lecturer.
Author: Caleb Wilde
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0062465260
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 164
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Book Description
The blogger behind Confessions of a Funeral Director—what Time magazine called a "must read"—reflects on mortality and the powerful lessons death holds for every one of us in this compassionate and thoughtful spiritual memoir that combines the humor and insight of Smoke Gets in Your Eyes with the poignancy and brevity of When Breath Becomes Air. We are a people who deeply fear death. While humans are biologically wired to evade death for as long as possible, we have become too adept at hiding from it, vilifying it, and—when it can be avoided no longer—letting the professionals take over. Sixth-generation funeral director Caleb Wilde understands this reticence and fear. He had planned to get as far away from the family business as possible. He wanted to make a difference in the world, and how could he do that if all the people he worked with were . . . dead? Slowly, he discovered that caring for the deceased and their loved ones was making a difference—in other people’s lives to be sure, but it also seemed to be saving his own. A spirituality of death began to emerge as he observed: The family who lovingly dressed their deceased father for his burial The act of embalming a little girl that offered a gift back to her grieving family The nursing home that honored a woman’s life by standing in procession as her body was taken away The funeral that united a conflicted community Through stories like these, told with equal parts humor and poignancy, Wilde offers an intimate look into the business and a new perspective on living and dying
Author: Mark Twain
Publisher: Good Press
ISBN:
Category : Literary Collections
Languages : en
Pages : 7927
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Book Description
Mark Twain's collection, 'MARK TWAIN: 12 Novels, 195 Short Stories, Autobiography, 10 Travel Books, 160+ Essays & Speeches (Illustrated),' showcases the breadth and depth of his literary genius. Known for his witty humor and social commentary, Twain's works span various genres, from adventure novels like 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer' to satirical essays like 'The Awful German Language.' His use of vernacular language captures the essence of American culture in the 19th century, making his writing both entertaining and thought-provoking. Twain's works continue to be studied and enjoyed for their timeless relevance and rich storytelling. Mark Twain's personal experiences as a riverboat pilot, gold miner, and world traveler heavily influenced his writing. His keen observations of human nature and society are reflected in his works, making them resonate with readers of all ages. 'MARK TWAIN' is a must-read for anyone interested in American literature, humor, or social commentary. Twain's unique perspective and literary talent make this collection a literary treasure that should not be missed.
Author: Emily Rapp Black
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 0525510958
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 240
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Book Description
“[An] often beautiful jewel of a book . . . Black’s power as a writer means she can take us with her to places that normally our minds would refuse to go.”—The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice) From the New York Times bestselling author of The Still Point of the Turning World comes an incisive memoir about how she came to question and redefine the concept of resilience after the trauma of her first child’s death. “Congratulations on the resurrection of your life,” a colleague wrote to Emily Rapp Black when she announced the birth of her second child. The line made Rapp Black pause. Her first child, a boy named Ronan, had died from Tay-Sachs disease before he turned three years old, an experience she wrote about in her second book, The Still Point of the Turning World. Since that time, her life had changed utterly: She left the marriage that fractured under the terrible weight of her son’s illness, got remarried to a man who she fell in love with while her son was dying, had a flourishing career, and gave birth to a healthy baby girl. But she rejected the idea that she was leaving her old life behind—that she had, in the manner of the mythical phoenix, risen from the ashes and been reborn into a new story, when she still carried so much of her old story with her. More to the point, she wanted to carry it with her. Everyone she met told her she was resilient, strong, courageous in ways they didn’t think they could be. But what did those words mean, really? This book is an attempt to unpack the various notions of resilience that we carry as a culture. Drawing on contemporary psychology, neurology, etymology, literature, art, and self-help, Emily Rapp Black shows how we need a more complex understanding of this concept when applied to stories of loss and healing and overcoming the odds, knowing that we may be asked to rebuild and reimagine our lives at any moment, and often when we least expect it. Interwoven with lyrical, unforgettable personal vignettes from her life as a mother, wife, daughter, friend, and teacher, Rapp Black creates a stunning tapestry that is full of wisdom and insight.
Author: Brenda Myers-Powell
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
ISBN: 0374719403
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 256
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Book Description
Told in an inimitable voice, Leaving Breezy Street is the stunning account of Brenda Myers-Powell’s brutal and beautiful life. “Careful—don’t think prostitution is just about money. It’s never just the money. It’s about slipping in at all the wrong places. Getting into dangerous situations and getting out of them. That’s exciting. That’s what you want. But you want something else, too.” What did Brenda Myers-Powell want? When she turned to prostitution at the age of fifteen, she wanted to support her two baby daughters and have a little money for herself. She was pretty and funny as hell, and although she called herself “Breezy,” she was also tough—a survivor in every sense of the word. Over the next twenty-five years, she would move across the country, finding new pimps, parties, drugs, and endless, profound heartache. And she would begin to want something else, something huge: a life of dignity, self-acceptance, and love. Astonishingly, she managed to find the strength to break from an unsparing world and save not only herself but also future Breezys. We have no say into which worlds we are born. But sometimes we can find a way out.
