Like everything in life, being a Humanist UK celebrant, not everything goes smoothly. I wrote recently about how a Humanist UK funeral celebrant is never on their own, because of the supportive network, and that’s true, but, when there is nothing in the diary, and hasn’t been for a while, for perhaps weeks, the loneliness and the self-doubt of this particular celebrant is febrile. There isn’t much the supportive network can do about these ‘between’ periods. Of course, I tell myself I mustn’t take it personally; it isn’t me, it’s circumstances. It isn’t that I am a rubbish celebrant, it’s just no one needs me just now, but those thoughts don’t ease my mithering and my self-criticism goes on and on. That’s the down of being a celebrant, and I’ve just been through such a period, but I am pleased to say the phone did ring and I have completed three ceremonies in the past two weeks. After a ceremony, if a family thanks me, the thanks given by them defeat the downs in a tsunami, of beautiful feelings. I was sent this yesterday:

‘Hi Glen. I just wanted to say how much of a great job you have done. You have made this whole process run so smoothly and helped guide me throughout all of this. I felt incredible pressure to make sure my mother’s funeral and burial went exactly how she wanted it to, and you were a major part of the proceedings. You adapted on the fly with my brother’s speech, and the way you spoke and conveyed my mom’s words she had said to you was fantastic, and everyone said how good you were. So, from me and my family, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.’

There’s the up of being a funeral celebrant.