On Friday, I participated in a funeral service for one of my congregation members. I arrived at the funeral home early as I usually do to be available for the family and to centre myself for the service. As preparations were happening for the morning, one of the funeral staff came in and announced that someone had tried to ‘lift’ one of the funeral cars and that they had tried to chase the person to no avail and a call to the police ensued. I came to find out from the funeral director that this was not the first time and just last month someone had broken down the steel door to the garage and stolen one of the vehicles.

I must admit that it had never crossed my mind that someone would try to steal something from a funeral home. Just like it never occurred to me that similar thefts would happen from a church office or the cloak room during Sunday service but I do know, from personal experience, that this certainly takes place.

I don’t believe that I am a naive person but I guess I still believe that some things and places are sacred and that you have to be pretty desperate to go there and steal.

What is the world coming to?? And am I of an ever smaller group that holds things and places as sacred. Or is this just where society has led us with respect being a thing of the past and boundaries just being those lines that divide provinces or countries?? Or is it because I have suddenly become aware that I am now part of the ‘older generation’ much like I thought of my parents when they would rant and rave about such things. Funny how things go in circles and, quite possibly, not much changes.