Prepared My First Cot View

I got to work this morning and noticed the hearse was gone and that one of our employees car was in the lot, so that meant we had a call. My boss met with the family about 9:30 or so, and the first thing they told us was they wanted to see their loved one right away. We refer to this as a cot view; the family doesn't want embalming, but they want one last chance to say goodbye. For these situations we place the body on a rolling table covered with a sheet. Then we close the mouth and eyes, pose the hands, apply a little red tint to the face, arms and hands, then cover the body with a comforter, up to the chest area, placing the crossed hands on top of the comforter. We also try to comb or arrange the hair as neatly as possible. We roll the body into the chapel, turn on the lights and music, and usher the family in. It doesn't sound like a lot, but it does take some time.

The owner was out of the office, my boss was meeting with the family, and the Returning Employee, who would usually make these preparations, was on vacation. So the job fell to me to get the body ready. I closed the mouth and eyes and did all the other preparations. My boss came in after he was finished with the family, made a couple of minor adjustments, and we put the body in the chapel. I felt very good about the work I had done and am satisfied I am progressing well in my performance.