There is a reason why experts recommend that people plan their memorial service in advance. One of the most often cited reasons is that it takes such an event out of the hands of your loved ones at a time in their lives when they are extremely sad, upset and otherwise very emotional. Because the loss of you, their loved one, is an emotionally charged event, it can lead them to make some unwise decisions. The other reason is that doing so allows you to map out your desires when it comes your final plans. For example, you can choose whether or not you want to be cremated, buried in the family plot or even donate your body for the good of scientific research.
Your Memorial Service
Your memorial service is an important part of the process of closing out your life. This step will probably be a given if you are going to be buried in your chosen spot since it tends to be understood that it is a natural progression. Even if you are choosing to be cremated or you are going to donate your body to science, though, you should plan to have a memorial service. It is during this time that your friends, family and other loved ones can take the opportunity to remember you and say good bye to you. Having a memorial service enables people to get together and reminisce about you, reliving the many memories that will help sooth them during their time of loss.
Find the Right Place
There are many different choices when it comes to finding the right place for your memorial service. Many people simply decide to have theirs at a local funeral home, and this might be an option even if you are not going to be buried in the family plot. In other cases, an individual might have strong ties to a church or other organization that they feel strongly about. Being able to have their memorial service at a place like that could help those left behind find some solace and closure as well.
Think Outside the Box
Being inside somewhere might not be the best place for your memorial service if you are someone who spent a great deal of time outside. Perhaps a gathering of your family and friends along a hiking trail that you loved to frequent or on the beach where you launched your sailboat so many warm and breezy days would be a better representation of the type of person you are. The great thing about pre-planning your own funeral and memorial service is that you have the time and means to craft the type of send-off that perfectly represents you.
There is no single answer when it comes to finding the right place for your memorial service. With a bit of time spent planning as well as some introspection and some input from those family and friends who know you best, you can find that perfect place to hold your memorial service.
Gone are the days of having a generic funeral or memorial service for your loved one. Your family and friends all have their own unique quirks and personality traits that make them who they are as well as endear them to you and others around them. In these days of services that place an emphasis on honoring and celebrating the life of the one who has passed away, finding the perfectmemorial card allows you to do so much more easily. Use the ideas outlined below to help you tap into those personality traits you love and that your loved one is most well known for to help you cherish their memory.
Crafting the Kind of Service Your Loved One Would Want
There is no doubt about it – losing a loved one is one of the hardest things that you will ever have to deal with during your lifetime. There are ways to help ease your pain, though. Not only can carefully planning the way you memorialize your loved one help make your pain a little duller now, taking the time to put careful thought into the items that are present at the service can help keep their memory alive and more vivid for years to come. It can also help those who attend the service to better cope with the loss of a person who is very special to them as well.
Choices Abound as a Way to Cherish Those You Love
Whether your loved one was the type of person who loved excitement, glitz and glamour or they were more of a simple and no-frills type of person, there is a memorial card that will perfectly reflect their unique personality traits. Honoring your husband for his years of service in the armed forces – a time period that he loved and cherished deeply – by using a photo of him in full uniform on the memorial cards you choose, for example, instantly tells those who see it how very important this accomplishment was to him. Simple and vividly displaying how a picture says a thousand words, everyone who sees it will know instantly just how important his armed services life was to him.
Say it With the Right Words
Their spirituality is important to many people. This is also often a trait that your loved one is eager to pass along to others, making it a cherished memory when it comes to time spent with them. Perhaps your grandmother always chose a special person to say grace at the table before anyone could eat. Whether the gathering was a large family reunion or a more intimate family time, being chosen by the matriarch of the family to say that blessing was both a privilege and an honor. Including her favorite scripture on her memorial card will instantly bring back those cherished memories for anyone who was privileged to be a part of them, ensuring that they will always be kept alive.
Using memorial cards to cherish your loved one's memory is an easy way to do so – and the memories can last a lifetime.
Choosing afuneral director might seem like it is a task of daunting proportions. It does not need to be, though, and is much less likely to be exactly that if you take some time to put the entire event in perspective. In reality, hiring a funeral director is really no different than finding a doctor that you are comfortable, a lawyer whose offers the services you need or any other professional, for that matter.
The Realities of the Situation
That being said, of course, choosing a funeral director is – in many ways – much different than finding another professional. While finding a doctor or a lawyer, for example, could be emotionally charged events, they are not quite the same as choosing the right funeral director. For this reason, many experts suggest looking for a funeral director for yourself and/or your loved ones well in advance of when you think you will need one. Not only will doing so allow you to make crucial decisions without feeling undue pressure, it also enables you to do so knowing that this element of the passing of yourself or your loved one is taken care of. It is one less thing that will need to be addressed during an already stressful time.
Getting Down to Business
It might seem surprising but one of the first steps in finding the right funeral director is to ask for recommendations. Survey your family members, especially if these are their own arrangements that you are trying to plan, to discover if they already have a preference when it comes to a funeral director. Be sure to ask your friends as well as any neighbors and/or coworkers whose opinions you trust. There also might be a funeral director that has always been used by your family and whose services are preferred. Another option is to seek out the funeral director of a funeral that you attended recently and that you were impressed with.
Alternatives to the Tried and True
Perhaps, though, you are the type of person who feels uncomfortable asking others about their recommendations for a funeral. You can still find one that makes you feel comforted by utilizing some research skills. One strategy is to search out the funeral homes in your area and browse through their website. Make an appointment to talk to them about your plans. Going in for a consultation appointment allows you to meet the funeral director as well as some of the staff. You will also be able to learn more about the services that are offered at each funeral home you visit as well as your ability to customize the service to meet the needs of the recently departed.
While funerals and all that surround them are often considered to be a highly stressful event, taking care to hire a funeral director before you actually need one can relieve a great deal of stress. Taking care of this task ahead of time also allows you to think out things logically so that you can plan your funeral or your loved one's funeral exactly the way you desire.
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