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One of the best parts of this “job” (is something you love to do so much really a job?) is getting to meet wonderful women who “get it” – they understand what they’re doing, and why. They show an enormous amount of commitment to their ‘work,’ and it shows. One such woman is Michele Palenik, who called me last week for a conversation. She’s a remarkable artist, who has turned her creativity to caring for those who’ve endured loss. Here’s what she shared later in an email…what she wants you to know…

“If you would have told me that one day I would create a line of cremation jewelry for the funeral trade, I may have looked at you like you were crazy. I spent many years designing jewelry in precious metals and precious gems for all kinds of happy occasions and life events.

Well, here I am, creating keepsake memorial pieces for families and friends. At the repeated urging of my Funeral Director husband (which I resisted for a couple of years!), I took the leap and dove in head first. For six years I had been successfully selling my custom cremation jewelry and then I lost my beloved Poodle-man, Baxter. Sadness could not begin to describe my feelings. I had that moment of clarity and suddenly, I got it.

Grief. Loss. Emptiness. Bam; all in one fell swoop. Heart and soul have always gone into my work, but now it seemed to permeate it in a new way. Working with the cremation jewelry has been an unexpected blessing. I feel it gives people a feeling of closeness to the one they lost and, hopefully, some comfort along the way. It is a long road of healing to peace. We are all here to help each other. You can find my work at www.purplecloudstudio.com.”

You and I know that there’s an abundance of cremation jewelry options and vendors. What makes Michele “special”? Her heart. It’s not just a business for her. That’s something we all have in common – and I welcome Michele into the fold of women funeral service professionals – simply because she is (as we are) committed to helping others heal after loss.