It’s a sad truth of life, that if anyone lives long enough, they will have to suffer through the death of a loved one. Planning a funeral in the throes of grief is a task that no one wants to deal with. Once a loved one is gone, it is difficult to know exactly how that person would want to be honored and remembered. And why would we want to leave grieving loved one in such a position to begin with? No one likes to think of it, but we all will one day be the loved one gone, and funeral pre planning can help ease the minds of family members and friends wrought with sadness. Making some funeral arrangements ahead of time is one final way to tell your family members you love them and want to take care of them even after you’re gone.
So you’ve decided you want to do some funeral pre planning to help your loved ones in their grief once you are gone? No one wants to think about their own deaths; the thoughts bring us our own grief in dealing with our mortality. But this truly selfless act is brave and noble. So, how do you begin to plan for something that no one wants to think about? First you must decide what kind of funeral service you would like to have. Are you religious? Would you like a Christian funeral, a jewish funeral? Or are you not religious and would prefer a secular service? Are you a veteran? Then you may want help planning a veterans funeral service. Are you interested in cremation services, a traditional funeral service, or direct burial? Seeking the answers to all of these questions and more while funeral pre planning will require the help of professional services. Resources are readily available online, but you will want to be in touch with a director you will trust to make all of your desired funeral arrangements while helping your loved ones navigate their grief.
It may be difficult to hand over the thousands of dollars often required and wonder if that money will still be good when you actually need it. Funeral service is regulated at both the federal and state level and you have a bill of rights when it comes to funeral pre planning and paying. Your chosen funeral director will give you a general price list for services such as securing clergy, musicians, flowers, running an obituary in the paper, and preparing and filing the death certificate. People expect the major expenses of a casket and burial or cremation, but there are a staggering number of “smaller” expenses that quickly add up. Having a director you trust will put the mind at ease that all of these sneaky little fees won’t sneak up on your loved ones after you are gone.
When funeral pre planning, you have the unique opportunity to tell your loved ones exactly how you would like to be remembered. Do you want a viewing or visitation? Open casket or closed? Would you like a funeral service, a memorial service or a graveside service? And what parts of your personality do you want on display during these services? You could include hobbies, special memories, and other passions. Your loved ones left behind will be able to remember you fondly instead of struggling through guessing what you might have liked during your services.
The fear of the unknown makes death a topic of conversation we really want to avoid. But who among us doesn’t love our families enough to want to try to ease some of their pain after we are gone. Funeral pre planning is just one small way we can show our friends and families how much we loved them. So much that we tried our best to take care of them, even after we’re gone
