Remember
the Eulogy projects we had to write back in High School? Death
is a tough subject to broach, and many would rather deny death
then embrace it. Someone once said, "...There are only two
guarantees in life: Death and Taxes." How true is this phrase?
It is normally when we are faced with the imminence of dying or
death that we only begin making plans or arrangements for our
transition.
Having
firsthand knowledge, it is very difficult to experience the physical
death or passing of a loved one. It is even more taxing when you
are subjected to last-minute funeral arrangements when physical
death does occur.
To
gain better insight in dealing with death, and to establish a
better understanding of death altogether, I present the following:
I
personally don't like the word "death" myself; so I prefer to
call it "transition." While it is vital to focus on our living
it is equally important to focus on our physical departure as
well. We often view this passing as a permanent end to life. And,
in all actuality, physical death after physical life is imminent.
Like everything in nature, the cycle of physical life begins with
physical birth and ends with physical death. Our earthly bodies
are merely shells that provide housing to our living energy. Because
energy is neither created, nor destroyed, it can only transform.
So, in retrospect, physical death is the death of the physical
being, but never the inner being, or soul. This is what
I refer to as the "transition."
That
being said, we now redirect our attention to our transition plans.
I never quite realized the meticulous details that surround death's
event. Funerals just don't "happen." They take planning,
organization and a great deal of in-depth research and modus operandi.
Just as painstakingly, we pre-arrange parties, receptions, births,
and weddings. Of course, the aforementioned are much easier with
which to deal. They are "living" and "vital" events, so we don't
mind contending with them. But mention the word, "death," and
suddenly, we shy away from it. We shelter ourselves from the reality
of death as long as we can because we fear it.
Through
my own experience, I've learned that the best way to deal with
physical death is to embrace it. After all, it is a natural occurrence
in human life. We cannot choose "Option C," when we only have
options A and B. Below our some common excuses people use with
regard to funerals:
- "But
I'm not dying - why should I plan for death?"
- "I'm
too young to worry about that kind of stuff..."
- "It
won't be a big deal, I'm getting cremated anyway..."
- "I've
got my whole life to live. Who cares about funerals now?"
- "Why
should I worry about planning a funeral now? I need to focus
on living instead..."
- "How
can you even ask such a thing?"
Really, the above answers are an all-too-common means of running
away from death. It is much easier to remain in denial. The truth
is that anyone can die at any given moment - death is not picky.
And remember, when - not if-- our physical death
does happen, we leave behind our legacies, our coworkers,
families, friends and even our pets. Have we thought about them?
Of course we have. We love the people and living creatures that
are part of our lives. And the thought of being without them can
be heartbreaking. The imprints we leave with them create a lasting
and loving impression. The last thing we want our friends and
family to do during our transition is to plan our individual funerals
for us. Preplanning our funerals eases the financial and
emotional burden on our family members and is one of life's greatest
virtues we can bestow (upon our families).
Funeral
Arrangements are an Individual Choice
Ask
yourself the following Questions:
- What
will you wear?
- Cemetary
or Mausoleum?
- Cremation?
- If
you choose to be cremated, would you like your ashes placed
in an urn or scattered?
- Embalmment?
- Church
Services or Funeral Home Services?
- Do
you wish to donate your body to those in need medically; scientific
research, etc?
- Do
you know what type of vault and casket you'd like?
- Do
you prefer a viewing and/or funeral motorcade procession?
- Would
you like someone to sing at your funeral?
- If
you're an Armed Forces Veteran, do you wish to be buried in
a National or local cemetery? Would you like full Veteran
burial?
These are just a few, detailed questions you will need to ask
yourself when planning your funeral. Next items to research are
cost. Remember that funerals can be as simple or elaborate as
you wish - but do you have adequate life insurance to cover the
cost? According to the National Funeral Directors Association
(www.nfda.org/NFDA), 98% of American funeral homes offer preplanning
options to families; and three ways individuals can prepay a funeral
are:
- A
licensed funeral director can establish a regulated trust.
- A
life-insurance policy can be purchased, equal to the value
of the funeral.
- Individuals
can establish a savings or certificate of deposit account
earmarked for funeral expenses. The account can be designated
as "payable on death" (POD) to the funeral home.
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In
addition to prepayment, the NFDA offers invaluable insight
with their "Bill of Rights for Funeral Preplanning." See
their guidelines below:
"An
ethical and reputable NFDA funeral home will ensure the following
rights and protections:
Provide
you with detailed price lists of goods and services before you
make your selections.
Provide
to you, at the conclusion of the funeral arrangement conference,
a written statement listing all of the goods and services you
have purchased and the price.
Give
you a written preneed funeral contract explaining, in plain
language, your rights and obligations.
Guarantee
in the contract, that if any of the goods or services you have
selected are not available at the time of need, goods and services
of equal or greater value will be substituted at no extra cost.
Explain
in the contract the geographical boundaries of the funeral home's
service area and under what circumstances you can transfer the
preneed contract to another funeral home if you were to relocate,
or if the death were to occur outside of the service area.
State
in the contract where and how much of the funds you pay will
be deposited until the funeral is provided.
Explain
in the contract who will be responsible for paying taxes on
any income or interest generated by the preneed funds that are
invested.
Inform
you in the contract whether, and to what extent, the funeral
home will guarantee the price of goods and services you are
purchasing. If the prices are not guaranteed, the contract will
explain who is responsible for any additional amounts that may
be due at the time of the funeral.
Explain
in the contract whether and under what circumstances you may
cancel your preneed contract and how much of the funds you paid
will be refunded.
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Grave Markers
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Grave Markers, Upright Monuments, Cremation Benches, Family
Mausoleums for all your memorial needs!
Cemetery
Property
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for sale at significant savings, 20 to 50 percent off.
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Your Website Revenue
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all.
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Because
death, or transition, is inevitable it is our responsibility
to make arrangements for our funerals before they occur.
Though sometimes, a daunting task, preplanning our transition
can be an enlightening experience that enables us to appreciate
life that much more. Don't wait until it's too late.
For
more information on options and preplanning funerals, please visit
the National Funeral Directors Association at www.nfda.org. If
you would like to share your story or experience, we always welcome
your insights.
An
insightful prose, titled Fly Away on "transition" can be
read here: http://www.holisticjunction.com/displaypoem.cfm?ID=294
©
2005 - All Rights Reserved Dying? Not Me! Why you should plan
for Transition By C. Bailey-Lloyd/LadyCamelot
About
the Author:
C.
Bailey-Lloyd/LadyCamelot is the Public Relations Director &
Staff Writer for Holistic
Junction -- Your source of information for Massage
Therapy Schools, and Reflexology
Schools; Alternative Healthcare; Insightful Literature and
so much more!
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