No Words

Lisa Thomas • September 29, 2021

There are times in life when there are no words.  When the air is heavy and the silence is deafening, even in the midst of the chaos.

There are times in life when the level of grief is beyond description.  When the words do not exist that will convey the depth of the pain.

For many in our communities, that time is now.  And so, instead of leaving you with an “official” blog, filled with real life illustrations and observations . . . or practical yet boring information . . . I need to take this moment and say . . .

There are times in life when there are no words.

Today is one of those times.

 

 

 

 

 

About the author:  Lisa Shackelford Thomas is a fourth generation member of a family that’s been in funeral service since 1926.  She has been employed at Shackelford Funeral Directors in Savannah, Tennessee for over 40 years and currently serves as the manager there.  Any opinions expressed here are hers and hers alone, and may or may not reflect the opinions of other Shackelford family members or staff.

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He Will Always Be

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The name they had chosen was filled with meaning, a combination of his father’s—Jon—and her father’s—Michael. Even before they knew what he was, they knew who he was.

The Mystery of the Hidden Corpse

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It was sometime in the 1960s or perhaps even the early 1970s. We could possibly even narrow it down a bit more than that . . . let’s say the mid-60s to early 70s. There had been a murder . . .

Sticks and Stones

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“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”

I Hear You . . . I See You

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Carl Jeter had walked out on the deck of his house to survey the flood waters of the Guadalupe River—and to be certain the level was no longer rising.

I Can't Do This . . .

By Lisa Thomas • August 13, 2025
It was bedtime in the Guinn household and six-year-old Malcolm had decided tonight was the night to declare his independence.

An Unbroken Bond

By Lisa Thomas • August 6, 2025
They had been married almost 25 years when Death suddenly took him. Twenty-five years of traveling around the country with his work. Twenty-five years of adventures and building their family and finally settling into a place they believed they could call their forever home.

Hidden Treasures

By Lisa Thomas • July 30, 2025
It was quietly hiding in the chaos that was once a well-organized, barn-shaped workshop/storage building, one now filled with all the things no one needed but with which they couldn’t bring themselves to part.