There is a reverence in this process. Afterwards, we cover them with a passage quilt- never covering their hands or face, never hiding death. A chair is set next to the bed and friends, staff, family, volunteers, and other residents are invited to come and sit and do what they need to do. When the family is ready, and it's time to have the resident transported, we have a candlelight procession, following the body out of the building. Days later we have a Circle, honoring the person's life through the sharing of stories.
Some Circles are full of laughter and crazy stories.
Each one is individual- just as each person is individual. So death, although weird, is strangely familiar to me. Sudden death, however, is not. This weekend a coworker died. She was drowned in a rafting trip.