When I first moved to Madison, WI I worked locally in a cardiac rehabilitation program at UW Hospital. I remember thinking it funny that all the older folks, and some of my colleagues, seemed a little obsessed with the daily report of obituaries in the local newspaper. Now that I'm a little older, wiser, and working for Frazer Consultants, I understand this a little better.
In fact, I've become a little obsessed myself. In some cases, I've spent a good bit of time trying to track down the OBITS of the patients I worked with in that program. More than once, I've felt a little remorse for not reaching out to them sooner to say hello and check-in. Knowing what happened to these folks feels more important to me than it ever has.
Why?
I'm still trying to figure that out, which is probably why I'm writing about it today.
When I decided to come to work for Frazer, I have to admit that I approached the idea with a fair amount of trepidation. Like much of the American population, my exposure and understanding of the funeral profession was limited, vague, and filled with ignorance. Even when my sister Wendi passed away more than eleven years ago, I never set foot inside a funeral home. She went direct to cremation, and then we had a memorial service a couple months later. It wasn't until I came to work for Frazer, and started having meaningful conversations with funeral directors, and learning about your profession and the importance of your work that I truly understood why I felt so strongly that something was missing from that experience with my sister.
If you're interested to know a little more about Wendi, you can click here for the archive of posts I've made about her on my blog. Or, Click here for the Frazer Tribute Wall I created for her on the DEMO site I use to present to potential customers.
The thing I really love about obituaries and about staying in tune with them as they pass through the publications I read and review every day, including the Frazer websites we build, is that each and every one of them is an opportunity to learn something you didn't know before. Not just about the person, but about what they did during their lifetime that was inspiring, important, and meaningful. These tributes are a constant reminder to those of us still here, about the importance of doing whatever we can to serve during our own lifetimes.
Experiencing and interacting with these tributes each and every day, one important message whispers to me quietly from the back of the room...
NOW is the time to build your legacy. Today. Don't squander it.
-John
PS We just launched a new website for one of my new customers. This website is a perfect example of how powerful an impact your online presence can reveal when you take the time, attention, and energy to produce and provide beautiful photographs that powerfully showcase your unique place in the world.
Click here to view this masterpiece
PPS Frazer websites are awesome. But don't just take my word for it. If you're not already a customer, I would love the opportunity to show you WHY. Otherwise, thanks for reading. It was nice to have you here 🙂
**Note: the views expressed in this post are my own and do not reflect the official views of Frazer Consultants.
