Don’t leave anything to chance. Plan your own funeral or memorial service.
This is one of those articles nobody wants to read and yet everyone should read it.
Planning a funeral is a very personal process. All your life experiences come into play for what will be your final send off. Doesn’t it make sense that you should be in charge of that moment as opposed to leaving loved ones guessing? A simple one-page document tucked in your will can be a huge stress relief at what is sure to be a very difficult time for your friends and family. Are you ready to plan your funeral? Here’s how:
Choose the Disposition
The dispo what? The disposition is what is supposed to happen to the body. There are a few options to consider. The first is whether you want to donate your body to science. There is a lot of use not just for your organs but the whole package. This is way of helping future generations of healers help other folks in need.
You can still donate your organs and be buried. The question then becomes do you want to be in a casket and plot or cremated. Yes, very tough questions to ask of yourself but easy answers. Cost could be a consideration. A casket and burial plot are more expensive than cremation in an urn. Of course, that urn can also be placed at a mausoleum.
Decide on the Service
Deciding on the service for your funeral is often dictated by your religious views. Every religion has standard services that can be used for your funeral. This will mean that your family will have to coordinate with a church or other religious institution to arrange for the service.
Another option would be to have a service at the funeral home and forego the church service. If there is to be a burial, then you can also just have the service be at the cemetery.
Once the type of service has been decided, you’ll want to get into the details. Who would you like to speak at your funeral? Are there any special songs, poems or passages that you would like read? Again, the more details you can work out, the more you take off your family’s shoulders.
Flowers or Donations
Finally, you can designate how you want people to honor your memory. Flowers are often part of a funeral service but you could make it known that instead of flowers, that you would prefer a donation made in your name to a specific charity or organization.
These are going to be your final wishes. Make them count.
