Those who have had to settle the affairs of a loved one after their demise will know how difficult it is to plan a funeral and memorial service. The entire family will want to honor their loved one and very often they are not in agreement about how to go about it. It would be much easier if the deceased family member had left behind a funeral or memorial plan. This will take the decision making process out of the hands of the family members and they will be able to organize a memorial plan in accordance with the wishes of the departed soul.
All these can be avoided, if you get a memorial plan while you are still living. Let us first go through the advantages such a plan can offer:
• Everything will be carried on according to the plan. Whatever the deceased wanted will get precedent over what his or family members want and so there will be no scope for disagreement and chaos.
• It will give the family members the satisfaction of knowing that they have been able to give the departed the kind of send off he or she really wanted.
• They will not have to bother about every detail at the time of their grief.
• The cost of the funeral will be locked up at today’s level.
Making memorial plans has become as important as planning for retirement or saving for one’s kids. Many people do set out to make proper funeral and memorial plans after a certain age. They will do it mainly for two reasons – to spare their loved ones the trouble of organizing one and to make sure their specific wishes are followed. How early is best to get a memorial plan – really depends on each individual. Some people do not like to think of the eventuality of death and could keep putting it off to a later date. More organized people or those who have specific wishes they want carried out will do so earlier.
However, you should have proper idea about all the steps involved so that you can actually plan everything in details. The director of the funeral home will be able to give you elaborate idea about them; but in short, the three most important steps are:
• visitation, which is also known as viewing/ wake/ calling hours
• the funeral
• the burial or cremation, whatever you choose
• memorial service
Generally, the visitation takes place one two evening before the funeral. However, where the deceased person is elderly, it may actually take place in the same day just before funeral so that his/her elderly friends and relatives can attend both. For the visitation, the embalmed body, dressed in best clothes, is put in a casket. The family may choose to display photographs of the deceased during his/her lifetime as well as some of his prized possession. Such a service is generally held in the funeral home and the visitors are generally required to sign an attendance book kept by the relatives.
A memorial service often takes place a few days after the burial service. It can be held at home or a restaurant, which people prefer, rather than a funeral home. It is a informal thanksgiving for the life of the departed and a time for people to remember and start the healing process. All these types of funeral and memorial services can be very expensive. This is another reason why it is best to make a memorial plan ahead of time. This allows you to decide what you specifically want and set aside money for this. In this way, family members can carry out your specific funeral wishes without worrying about expenses.
Anyway, the next step is the funeral service. Such a service is held either in the funeral home, but more commonly at the church in the presence of the body. The deceased is usually transported from the funeral home to the church in a hearse along a procession called a funeral cortege. The actual funeral service generally includes prayer, readings from a sacred text, singing of hymns and finally words of comfort by the clergy. Reading of eulogy by somebody close too is a common practice.
The last step is the disposal of the mortal remains by way of burial or cremation. Some may also have a memorial service later on. It is important that you are clear about what you actually want and leave clear instructions to that effect. If you want to be buried, make sure you choose the burial ground where you want to be buried along with type of casket you will like to be your last resting place. If you want to be cremated, leave instruction as to what is to be done with the ashes. Indeed, getting a plan will allow you to choose not only the location for the funeral and memorial service, but also what passage to be read, poem to be recited or songs to be sung; you can choose which flowers to be bought and pictures to be displayed. However, whatever you do, talk to the authorities at the funeral homes to be aware of all options and then make your decision.
Article by Dunbar Winston of FuneralesReforma, who is a specialist in hispanic estate planning. For more information on contratos funerarios and contratos funerarios, visit his site today.
No comments:
Post a Comment