Can you stand one more thank you Daniel? This is a perfect example of "thinking outside the box". I also appreciate all the other comments. Death really is a lot about life. However, even though we celebrate lives, we can't deny mourning deaths. During that time, families should be able to spend time together, without the added burden of dealing with the necessary but mundane tasks involved with the death of a loved one. This is particulalrly difficult if they live far away. One of the things my business does is to take the burden off the minds of the newly bereaved, providing them the time & opportunity to mourn, reminisce, laugh, cry, be together, and grieve in whatever fashion suits them. Some of the things we do are: ~ Make travel and hotel arrangements for people coming from out of town ~ Tidy up the homes in preparation for visitors after the service ~ Coordinate catering or other food options for visitors after the service ~ Act as a courier for necessary paperwork, i.e. death certificate, insurance, social security information, etc. ~ Inform utility companies, post office, magazine subscriptions, etc. of death ~ Coordinate orders and follow-up of flower deliveries ~ Set up a bank or credit union account for people wanting to leave donations in memory of a loved one ~ Assist with, or completely manage estate sale; ~ Distribute left- over items to charity or place of person’s choice ,disposing of unwanted items ~ Clean house in preparation of sale ~ Assist with preparing and sending thank you notes

Regardless of whether you use the services of a concierge, those are just a few of the things that need to be tended to. As owner and primary concierge, I am passionate about ensuring that these services are performed in the most caring and compassionate manner. In addition to losing both my parents, the father of my children, and other dearly-loved ones, I served for many years as a hospice volunteer. People are allowing you into their lives during a sacred time, and it is so important to take cues from them and be sensitive during a time of loss. Laughing is allowed and even welcomed if the moment is appropriate. Thanks for bringing up such an important topic.

Awesome! Howard is very inspiring & obviously passionate about what he does. I learned a very important lesson today, which seems so simple & obvious; yet never occurred to me. Now to put it into practice... Thank you for your time and expertise. Much appreciated!

This is quite a skill to learn-like doing an emotional dance while remaining honest with potential customers & true to self. I appreciate the opportunity to attend this workshop. Thank you for bringing this to B'ham!