Pens Down, Eyes Up: Nonverbal Communication with Families by JD Slack, Slack Funeral Home, P.A. How we behave in our silence can sometimes have an even greater impact on the families we serve than the words we say to them. I t wasn’t long before the COVID-19 shutdown that I found myself standing outside baggage claim at BWI airport awaiting my ride, when the exit door burst open and a well-dressed, professional-looking gentleman scurried across the traffic lane digging in his pockets as he dodged the traffic. When he reached the traffic island where I stood waiting, he extracted his “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” - Maya Angelou 46 www.ogr.org | Summer 2021 Marlboros and a lighter, lit his cigarette and took a drag that any smoker (or former smoker) would recognize as the, “Man, that flight was long!” first smoke after landing. Presently, he was approached by a younger man in jeans and a hoodie with an unlit cigarette dangling from his lips. The newcomer slightly raised his eyebrows and tilted his head up in an informal greeting, which the first gentleman acknowledged with a similar gesture. The younger man then held his closed fist in front of his face and flicked his thumb up and down. The first man reached in his pocket and extended his hand holding a Bic lighter. The gift was accepted, utilized, and handed back to the older gent. As their hands met, they both nodded, and the young fellow turned and walked away.
47 Publizr Home