A Unigue Undertaker

His name is David Bristow and his business is located on Route 17, south of Gloucester Virginia and he has served as Funeral Director for decades, even for those who have little money to pay for his services.  Some times he would call me and ask me if I would conduct the funeral gratis because he knew that I was also a Christian and together we would  not charge for our services.  He has served as a Funeral Director for decades and as far as I know, he is still there.


I still can remember that he once told me that the minister should wait until all the mourners had left, and the crew would come back and finish covering the casket with dirt.  After that, I was free to leave.

One day he called me and told me that a man had been found in a swamp, that everyone knew that he was a heavy drinker, and apparently had been drunk when he fell down in that swamp water and drowned. 
Of course I told him I would.

When I arrived at the cemetery it was way back in a swampy area, that's where they buried people who had little money to bury their dead.  It was pouring down rain as I drove up, and David and the dead man's mother were waiting for me.

The service was a short one; I read a Psalm of David where he was running from his enemies and he thought surely they would catch him, and so out of desperation, he cried out to God to deliver him from his enemies...It went something like this..."They surround me like wolves, they thirst for my blood, oh Lord, save me lest I go down in a pit and be no more...."

I could hardly hold back my own tears...I had never had to do anything like this before and I glanced over at David and the dead man' mother.  David's umbrella covered both of them from the rain, and David was moved to tears himself, as was the mother. 

I could see her head was pressed against the undertakers chest, and both of them were mourning her son's death.

David led her away and opened the door for her in that hearse that had carried the casket, they lowering his umbrella, he climbed into the driver's seat, and back up, turned around, and drove out of that old grave yard.

I was still standing there in the pouring rain, getting soaked clear through all my clothing.  But I waited until those two men came over and started their job of pushing that mud into the already water-filled grave.  They motioned for me to leave, and so I did, climbed into my car, started it up, and waiting there until those two men finally finished their work, climbed back into that old pick-up truck and drove away.

I have conducted many funerals, where lots of people showed up, and the family would be gathered under a small tent, and a number of funeral employees would be there, helping park the cars, making sure who were family and who were friends...finally nodding to me to do my part.  That's the normal was a grave-side ceremony is done; but whenever I'm called on to do another one, when I am on my way there, riding alone in my car, following the hearse, I have always remembered the one I described above.

It showed me that the Spirit of God was there in that swamp that day, and if Jesus had been there with us, I think He would have wept with the rest of us.  That's the way Jesus was...He certainly loved that man who had lived such a short and troubled life.  Jesus would understand that man's problems...because the Bible tells us that Jesus was tempted with every temptation know to man-kind, and surely there were uncountable people who lived much the same way as this man had lived.

I have know a long time now, funerals are for those who are left behind, to offer them hope and comfort,  The person in the grave is being honored because of the life they had lived, but I don't think the service is really for them, it's for those who come and gather around, and when the service is over, people will greet one another and continue to say "I remember when...."  Then file back into their cars, and drive away again, having paid their respect to someone they thought was worthy of attending their funeral.