A chill in the air reminds us that autumn and Thanksgiving are fast approaching. Although it may seem unholiday-like to talk about death, there is an organization, called Engage With Grace, whose sole mission is to encourage families to have “the conversation” about end-of-life choices, no matter how uncomfortable it may be to begin, and many people involved with the movement suggest that holidays are the perfect time for that conversation to take place. Read the rest of this entry »
Elegant Memorials Funeral Program Templates help families cherish their loved one’s memories by offering photo-customized funeral program templates that can be downloaded immediately, customized and printed on a personal computer and printer. These templates help offer funeral homes, churches and small businesses by providing inexpensive, easy to use funeral and memorial printing templates.
The templates are created using Microsoft Word 2003 (or higher) and are very easy to update. Simply add a picture and replace the text with your own information including order of service, funeral poems, songs, scriptures, family photo collages and much more. Read the rest of this entry »
On July 8, Sheriff Thomas J. Dart announced that Cook County detectives had found exposed human remains in a remote part of Burr Oak Cemetery in the Chicago suburb of Alsip. According to Dart, investigators went to the cemetery after receiving a tip from the cemetery’s owner, Tucson-based Perpetua Inc. In addition to human remains, investigators uncovered an unimaginable story of greed, corruption and desecration. On July 10, police closed the cemetery and declared the area a crime scene. Read the rest of this entry »
Residents of the Hawaiian Islands are eligible for free cremation services through the Gifts for Life (GFL) Program. According to GFL’s website, the organization’s primary mission is “to obtain human cadavers for health science education and scientific study.”
Hawaii’s cremation rate highest in nation
Almost 70% of Hawaiians are cremated at death, making Hawaii’s cremation rate the highest in the nation, according to The Cremation Association of North America. One reason so many islanders choose cremation is to serve the greater good – Hawaii’s land shortage is a perennial concern, and cremation is seen as a responsible way to preserve open lands for future generations. Read the rest of this entry »
Recent scientific studies confirm that talking about death can increase comfort and alleviating stress for dying patients and their loved ones.
End-of-life discussions benefit patients and caregivers
A study of 332 terminally ill cancer patients at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute revealed that patients who said they did not discuss end-of-life issues received more aggressive medical care in their final week of life. Read the rest of this entry »
The number of people opting for cremation over traditional burial may be on the rise across the United States, but nowhere is the trend more evident than in Florida.
Since 1958, the cremation rate in North America has risen from approximately 5 percent to nearly 35 percent. According to projections by the Cremation Association of North America (CANA), cremations will lead across the country by 2025. But in Lee County, Florida alone, cremations accounted for 64 percent of final arrangements made in 2008, almost twice the number of burials and entombments combined. Read the rest of this entry »
By the time Michael Jackson’s memorial service was beamed to viewers around the world, the media circus surrounding his death had caused fans and foes alike to focus more on Jackson’s public and private dramas than on his untimely passing. But at the end of the service, when Jackson’s 12-year-old daughter, Paris, stepped to the microphone and fought through tears to tell the world, “I just wanted to say I love him so much,” everything changed, if only for a moment. In that instant, across the globe, hearts ached in witness to the profound grief of a child who lost her daddy. Read the rest of this entry »
In the U.S., we honor the veterans of our Armed Forces for their service and their sacrifice. The cost of serving one’s country is great, after all; military personnel typically face financial hardship, prolonged separation from their loved ones, and tremendous risk of physical, mental or emotional illness and injury. Some pay the ultimate price, dying in service to their country.
But many veterans die in poverty, and while the U.S. government provides funeral benefits for qualifying veterans, gaining access to those benefits can be a challenge. In many cases, families may not know or understand the benefits their loved one is entitled to, or they may not know how to claim them. Read the rest of this entry »
Around the turn of the 18th century, in his play The Mourning Bride, English playwright and poet William Congreve (1670-1729) wrote the immortal (and often misquoted) line, “Music has charms to soothe a savage breast.” Roughly 200 years later, Congreve’s countryman, composer Frederick Delius (1862-1934), referred to music as “an outburst of the soul.”
The timeless (but seemingly opposing) observations of both men continue to ring true in 21st century culture. Music arouses passion and awakens long-forgotten memories; leads soldiers into battle and celebrates their victories; whispers children to sleep at night and enlivens their play during the day. Nothing can rival music in its ability to capture the joys of new love – or the anguish of love lost. Read the rest of this entry »
Late in 2008, actor/comedian Rosie O’Donnell was in Detroit making the movie America for the Lifetime cable network when she blogged about the economic decline of the Motor City: I’m here in Detroit, Michigan where the recession is already the depression. Hard to believe unless you see it. We must save this city.
While hard times have affected all kinds of people in ways big and small, they have, perhaps, fallen hardest on Detroit. The crumbling of the once mighty auto industry and unprecedented declines in the financial and real estate markets have driven unemployment and homelessness to record highs. In Detroit, the effects of poverty are everywhere – even in death. Read the rest of this entry »
A chill in the air reminds us that autumn and Thanksgiving are fast approaching. Although it may seem unholiday-like to talk about death, there is an organization, called Engage With Grace, whose sole mission is to encourage families to have “the conversation” about end-of-life choices, no matter how uncomfortable it may be to begin, and many people involved with the movement suggest that holidays are the perfect time for that conversation to take place. Read the rest of this entry »
Elegant Memorials Funeral Program Templates help families cherish their loved one’s memories by offering photo-customized funeral program templates that can be downloaded immediately, customized and printed on a personal computer and printer. These templates help offer funeral homes, churches and small businesses by providing inexpensive, easy to use funeral and memorial printing templates.
On July 8, Sheriff Thomas J. Dart announced that Cook County detectives had found exposed human remains in a remote part of Burr Oak Cemetery in the Chicago suburb of Alsip. According to Dart, investigators went to the cemetery after receiving a tip from the cemetery’s owner, Tucson-based Perpetua Inc. In addition to human remains, investigators uncovered an unimaginable story of greed, corruption and desecration. On July 10, police closed the cemetery and declared the area a crime scene. 
Residents of the Hawaiian Islands are eligible for free cremation services through the Gifts for Life (GFL) Program. According to GFL’s website, the organization’s primary mission is “to obtain human cadavers for health science education and scientific study.”
Recent scientific studies confirm that talking about death can increase comfort and alleviating stress for dying patients and their loved ones.
By the time Michael Jackson’s memorial service was beamed to viewers around the world, the media circus surrounding his death had caused fans and foes alike to focus more on Jackson’s public and private dramas than on his untimely passing. But at the end of the service, when Jackson’s 12-year-old daughter, Paris, stepped to the microphone and fought through tears to tell the world, “I just wanted to say I love him so much,” everything changed, if only for a moment. In that instant, across the globe, hearts ached in witness to the profound grief of a child who lost her daddy. 
Around the turn of the 18th century, in his play The Mourning Bride, English playwright and poet William Congreve (1670-1729) wrote the immortal (and often misquoted) line, “Music has charms to soothe a savage breast.” Roughly 200 years later, Congreve’s countryman, composer Frederick Delius (1862-1934), referred to music as “an outburst of the soul.”
Late in 2008, actor/comedian Rosie O’Donnell was in Detroit making the movie America for the Lifetime cable network when she blogged about the economic decline of the Motor City: