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.

The post No Words appeared first on Shackelford Funeral Directors | Blog.

Why Suffer In Silence?

By Lisa Thomas • October 22, 2025
Years ago, a well-known celebrity lost a child when she was five months pregnant. She and her husband shared pictures of themselves holding their baby, obviously and understandably grieving their loss—and numerous people found fault with that.

Meet Them Where They Are

By Lisa Thomas • October 15, 2025
In their later years, both of my parents suffered from dementia, my father thanks to Diffuse Lewy Body Disease and my mother compliments of vascular disease which led to portions of her brain slowly dying. Two very different causes, but the same end result.

It Should At Least Slow Down

By Lisa Thomas • October 8, 2025
Every December my daughter and I (and our special guest baker Tommy) gather for three very long days (plus usually one for gathering supplies) and we bake. And we bake and we bake and we bake.

The Things We Leave Behind

By Lisa Thomas • October 2, 2025
We’ve all heard the old saying “You can’t take it with you”, right? And we all know why old sayings get to be old sayings, right? (In case you don’t, it’s because there’s a grain of truth hidden in them . . .)

One Last Glimpse

By Lisa Thomas • September 24, 2025
It’s raining. A rare occurrence of late. And a welcome one. It’s done that off and on for the last few days, and you know what? The grass that once crunched under my feet is now soft and green again. And in need of mowing.

When the Old Ways Are Gone

By Lisa Thomas • September 17, 2025
It’s Fair Week in Hardin County, Tennessee! Just like it is or has been or will be in the near future for many counties around the south. And maybe the north. I’m just not sure how many of our southern traditions they embrace.

He Will Always Be

By Lisa Thomas • September 11, 2025
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

By Lisa Thomas • September 3, 2025
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

By Lisa Thomas • August 27, 2025
“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”

I Hear You . . . I See You

By Lisa Thomas • August 20, 2025
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.