Archive for the ‘After Death’ Category

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Are You Ready for a Destination Funeral?

Saturday, October 15th, 2011

Are You Ready for a Destination Funeral?When it comes to funeral planning, people are faced with more options than ever before. You can completely pre-plan a funeral while you are still in the peak of health. You can donate your body to science. You can even shoot your cremated remains up into space or become part of an eco-friendly coral reef project.

A new wave of funeral planning innovations is the destination funeral. Like a destination wedding, this is a celebration planned for somewhere far away from home: maybe a tropical beach or a favorite location overseas. For those with enough money to turn this dream into a reality, the result can be an unforgettable funeral experience that brings people together in ways you never imagined.

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Cemeteries throughout American History

Friday, October 7th, 2011

Cemeteries throughout American HistoryChoosing a cemetery is an important part of the funeral planning process. Unlike a casket or funeral clothes, which remain underground and eventually decay, the gravestone and cemetery are the visible and lasting reminders of the deceased’s legacy. Throughout history, humans have placed great importance on the final place of rest, even going so far as to construct elaborate structures for the purpose.

Although today’s cemeteries and gravestones tend to be more understated than what was expected just a hundred years ago, they still carry great importance to the family members and descendants left behind. Here’s a quick look through American history and our shared focus on this most important of burial rites.

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Changing Cemeteries After the Deceased Has Already Been Buried

Friday, September 30th, 2011

Changing Cemeteries After the Deceased Has Already Been BuriedWhen funeral planning takes place after a sudden loss, it’s not uncommon for decisions to be made hastily or in the best interest of getting the burial arrangements made and completed with as little fuss as possible. This is especially true if no advance funeral plans were made; you often have several people with opinions and overwhelming feelings, and not everything that is agreed upon is the ideal outcome.

Although it is rare that these decisions stray so far, there are instances in which the deceased is buried in a cemetery plot that you don’t wish to keep. There are many reasons for this. In some cases, a beloved relative might be buried out of state, and you wish to move them closer to your own burial plot. Perhaps the deceased is buried next to a relative he or she doesn’t belong next to, or the cemetery is too crowded to admit the rest of the family (at a future date). Whatever the reason, you may be considering exhuming the deceased and re-burying his or her body in another location.

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Why do you need a funeral at all?

Thursday, August 11th, 2011

Why do you need a funeral at all?These days, there are almost as many funeral planning options as there are people. You can choose direct cremation or direct burial and skip a formal memorial service. You can have your ashes shot up into space or buried as part of a coral reef project. You can even donate your body to science and end up helping a medical student learn how to save lives.

The Funeral Tradition

Funeral plans and formal burial arrangements have been a part of the human culture for almost as long as there have been humans. There is something so deeply moving about death that all of us share a need to go through the ceremony and tradition associated with the loss of a loved one. Whether it’s a cultural need to have family and friends around you or a religious need to prepare the body in a specific way, we all have age-old associations with the funeral planning process.

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Writing Funeral Thank You Notes

Friday, June 10th, 2011

Writing Funeral Thank You NotesOne of the aspects of planning a funeral that can be the most emotionally draining is writing thank-you notes in the days and weeks following the memorial service. From the people who helped you plan the funeral to those who sent flowers, it’s good funeral etiquette to acknowledge individual contributions with a thank you note.

Unfortunately stress and grief often make this simple task too difficult to even comprehend. If you find yourself facing the task of writing thank yous but aren’t sure where to start, here are a few helpful tips:

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Types of Headstones

Wednesday, June 8th, 2011

Types of HeadstonesOne aspect of funeral planning that occurs at the cemetery is deciding which headstone to place on the grave. The headstone, or tombstone as it is traditionally known, has taken many different forms throughout history. From simple markers to more elaborate statues, people have used the headstone as a way to memorialize the loss of a loved one and to ensure that the grave can be found for future generations.

Although today’s headstone options tend to be more subtle than what was used in years past, you can use this opportunity to personalize the grave and make a final contribution to the memory of the deceased.

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What Can I Expect from Direct Cremation?

Friday, May 13th, 2011

What Can I Expect from Direct Cremation?One way in which families are saving on costs during the funeral planning process is to consider direct cremation. This process, which entails cremating the deceased without a funeral service, embalming, or body viewing, is the most streamlined option currently offered by the funeral industry. Although there is a lack of ceremony about it that puts many people off, direct cremation is ideal in situations in which no funeral pre-plans were made or the deceased wished for little fanfare.

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Superstitions about Funerals

Tuesday, May 10th, 2011

Superstitions about FuneralsWhen it comes to funeral planning, just about every culture and every family has their own list of traditions. Whether the traditions are as lighthearted as everyone wearing the color red in honor of the deceased’s favorite color or as somber as observing a strict period of mourning, most traditions, taboos, and superstitions have their roots in time-honored cultural practices.

Here are a few funeral superstitions that have been part of the Western culture for centuries:

• Pall bearers traditionally wear gloves when they carry a casket. This practice stems from a fear that directly touching the casket could allow the spirit of the deceased to enter the body.

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Popular Funeral Verses

Friday, April 29th, 2011

Popular Funeral VersesOne of the more common parts of a memorial service is the reading of favorite Bible verses or poetry that you and your family choose. As far as funeral planning goes, this isn’t the most difficult decision you’ll make, and there is no “wrong” way to choose a funeral verse, but it is good to take some time choosing what will be read and who will be responsible for the reading. That’s because in addition to honoring the deceased, there can be great healing to be found in the wisdom of others.

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How to Help Children Express Grief

Thursday, April 28th, 2011

How to Help Children Express GriefOne of the more difficult aspects of funeral planning—whether you’re doing it in the stages leading up to death or after the fact—is orienting children toward the proper methods of grief. Like adults, children grieve in different ways from one another, especially when you take into consideration different ages and the relationship each child had with the deceased.

Also similar to adults, children grieve through a series of steps, each one building on the last as they process their emotions and the sudden change in their world. Although the following is meant to be a guideline for these stages, please note that the advice offered here is never a substitute for professional therapy. When it comes to our kids, it can be very beneficial to seek guidance so that they not only mourn their loss properly, but also learn how to cope with future losses in their lives.

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