Vicarless

Sometimes. whilst trying to do the best job you can, can be compared to weeing yourself whilst wearing black trousers...It gives you a warm feeling inside...but no one else notices.
Today was a typical example. I was given a fast ball task to attend a burial of ashes and also back fill the hole when the mourners had left. I turned up with casket in hand but the vicar didn't. I immediately called my office and asked for them to ring the minister. They rang back to say they could not get hold of him. I then gave the mourners 3 choices. They could wait a little longer or I could say a few words or we could quickly try and organise another vicar. they went for choice 3. I then had 30 gruelling minutes trying to pacify very upset mourners. To cap it all the Council then turned up to fill in the hole!! This again upset the mourners. Then the families mobile went and someone was asking to speak to the person who's ashes we were about to bury!!!!!! I offered a warm seat in our company car and I offered my coat to those that were cold. I praised our companies services and tried to make them understand on this occasion it was not our fault. Finally another vicar turned up and the service was completed. When i got back to base I was basically told that I should have searched the Graveyard for the vicar as he had been standing at the top end all the time (where no ashes had been buried for 2 years or more??) However we seem to think that maybe the vicar forgot and was telling a porkie pie as I passed no vicar at the top of the churchyard which is about a half a mile away???? Ah well it is a lesson I have learned many times before. The harder you try... the harder you fall.