Children, Parents & Loss ~ Our Corporate Plan

It’s not something anyone wants to think about. Ever. We received a call late last week from a Corporate Client of ours needing help for one of its most valuable employees. After the initial shock of hearing the news, we immediately jumped in and started to help.

I have to admit the funeral home was a bit taken aback, not quite sure what I was doing standing in their foyer asking about services but after I explained I was Advocating for a family, they provided the information I needed. I am used to working with most funeral homes and have made great contacts with a lot of them, but this was a new relationship I was building.

We contacted the church and drove out to gravesites to provide scope for the family.

Our goal is to lessen the blow for families.

On Saturday, I received a call from the funeral director asking for some family information and she politely said, “We do what you do, we do it all the time, so rest assured we have this…”

I hesitated and then told her it was my job to make sure the family feels safe and supported. I know funeral directors do their best and they do a great job.  Our job at LOLA is to provide guidance and support.  Plus, we are there for the family way after the funeral to help provide support and guidance.

As I sat on Sunday morning and was putting an obituary outline together, I realized Advocating is one of our key goals to be there to help at a most vulnerable and sad time. While we think most people have families to help them, sometimes they need a third party to step in and just be there in observance ~ to let the entire family grieve.

Children are God’s true blessings and when for unknowing reasons they are taken from us too soon, it feels unsteady and sad. Our mission at LOLA is to support before, during and after a loss.

Our Corporate client hired us to help prepare their employees and support them during a life transition. It’s a perfect fit to provide the support the employee needs then guide them into an Employee Assistance Program or counseling at the appropriate time.

We value our clients trusting us, and our partners.  The funeral directors and pastors are miracle workers with what they do, and we are so grateful for them and their service.

 LOLA is here to provide guidance and support before, during and after a loss.

Thank You President Bush ~

I couldn’t take my eyes off the train carrying President George Bush (41) home from Spring, Texas to College Station.

I was obsessed with every detail of the ceremony – from beginning to end. The number of times they played -Hail to the Chief- and thinking his family must cringe knowing they are one step closer to burying him next to his loving partner and daughter with every note.

I thought how Amazing it was he picked every little detail about his funeral, and I laughed thinking it really was Trains, Planes and Automobiles to the very end!

I was touched how he even picked out the food his family would have on the train on the way to College Station and when he arrived, and they played the Aggie Fight Song, I as a Texan, burst into tears.  My heart burst with JOY that he was home with his wife and daughter!  Let’s face it, it was inevitable that I would cry, and I did get tearful when his son George W. Bush cracked at the end of his eulogy and watching James Baker do the same, I was fighting back what was my underlying feeling this whole week – sadness.

Sadness for someone who graced the offices he served with confidence, adored his wife and loved his family.  Who could ask for more in a human?

When I reflected and thought about it all, I realized WHY I was so obsessed with every detail.  Because HE had preplanned his funeral.  Now, I know we are not all Presidents and we don’t have the budget for this grand of an affair, I can say this was a final lesson he was teaching all of us.

Be prepared. Have the conversations. Don’t be afraid to tell the people you LOVE that you LOVE them. And have a vision about how you want to be celebrated and how you want your family and friends to feel about your life and legacy.

That was one of the many reasons I created LOLA. Because I want people to say, “I want my life to be celebrated this way and I want my family to feel loved to the end.”