HARARE - Death comes like a thief in the night, leaving a heartache no one can heal.
The death of a loved one is a difficult thing to go through, and the grief that follows sometimes seems unbearable.
A grieving person may feel like it is wrong to be so overcome, but it is normal to feel that way, and it is a necessary part of the grieving process.
Soon, the grief will fade, and one will be left with memories of the loved ones.
A decent burial for our loved ones, though, goes a long way in healing the wounds of the loss.
As a result, the number of funeral parlours has increased across Zimbabwe, with many trying to outdo each other in terms of the quality of service they provide to families of the departed.
The choice of funeral parlours vary from charges to the quality and versatility of service provided.
For many, the best service provider on the market is the parlour of choice, and as a result, funeral businesses have been introducing new initiatives in an effort to stay ahead of their competitors.
How many of us in Zimbabwe remember the old school buses on American television programmes we used to watch since TVs became common in many local households?
Yes, those Blue Bird vehicles that reminded you that you were watching an American sitcom or movie!
One local funeral parlour, Doves Morgan, has recently imported a fleet of 60 of those buses in what the company says “will make the day less unpleasant.”
A ride on one of the buses during a recent family friend funeral made me realise how some businesses have seen the need for new innovations in order to stay afloat in a struggling economy like ours.
A comfortable interior, seat belts for every seat and good fuel economy goes some way, in Doves’ words, in “making goodbyes less painful.”
The death of a loved one is a stressful event which has the potential to cause an emotional crisis.
Although we are aware that death is an inevitable part of life, it can cause a range of difficult emotions including denial, disbelief, anger, sadness and guilt.
With death stalking us every day — what with the terrible state of our roads, the unfortunate kombi-police wars that have claimed many innocent lives, diseases — a need has risen for people to come together in remembering a life and supporting each other.
Perhaps that explains the mushrooming of funeral parlours in this country.