What One Funeral Director Wants You to Know
Have you ever come across a book that quietly changes the way you look at something you’ve always avoided thinking about? I read Confessions of a Funeral Director by Caleb Wilde last weekend, and it was one of those books.
What surprised me most is that, in an unexpected way, it almost reads like a self-help book, which feels a
little unusual, given the topic.
Wilde grew up in a family-run funeral home and eventually became a funeral director himself. He shares what it’s like to care for people at the end of life and to support families during some of their hardest moments.
But beyond that, he reflects on life itself...how we handle grief, how we show up for others, and what really matters in the long run. It’s not heavy in the way you might expect. Instead, it’s thoughtful, honest, and at times even comforting.
What makes it feel a bit like a self-help book is the perspective it offers. He writes about how our culture tends to avoid death, even though it’s something we all have in common, and how facing that reality can actually make life more meaningful.
One idea that stood out to me was his reminder that acknowledging death doesn’t take away from life. It can deepen our appreciation of it. It’s a simple thought, but one that tends to stick. I didn’t find myself agreeing with every perspective, but there was still a lot in it that made me pause and think in a good way.
It’s a reminder that insight can come from unexpected places. Even a book about a funeral director can leave you thinking a little differently about everyday life...and maybe appreciating it a bit more.
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Here's what just one GON reader had to say...
"So much wisdom in your words, again, in your March 18th issue, Maria! Thank you, again,
all the way from Australia!"-- Barbie Hingston
