Posts Tagged ‘grief’

Losing a Loved One: Should I Hold a Public Viewing?

When a loved one dies, there are many different considerations that go into funeral planning. Cremation or burial? Which cemetery to choose? What kind of casket? Who should oversee the funeral? When should we hold it? (more…)

Unique Memorial Ideas: A Family Recipe Book

If you recently lost a loved one and are looking for a unique and uplifting way to create a lasting memorial, you may want to consider a family recipe book. This works especially well whether the deceased loved to cook, or was someone who just loved food. By gathering beloved recipes and putting them in a book that can be printed for anybody who wants a copy, you can help their memory—and their favorite dishes—live on. (more…)

How to Prepare for Your First Meeting with the Funeral Director

When you lose a loved one, your first order of business is to choose a funeral home that will guide you through the burial decision making process. This funeral home will help you arrange the burial, cremation, funeral, and/or memorial service, up to and including selling you all the necessary items and preparing the body for the type of interment you choose. (more…)

To Tweet or Not to Tweet? Social Media Etiquette after a Death

For most of us, social media is where much of our lives take place. We connect with old friends and make plans with current ones. We share photos of our partners, spouses, kids, and pets. We discuss politics and religion. (more…)

Do I Have to Write an Obituary?

When a loved one dies, it is customary to write an obituary to be published in the local paper, on the funeral home website, or on social media. This brief overview of the deceased’s life not only informs people of the death (and the memorial service and/or funeral), but also commemorates things like careers, awards, education, children, and grandchildren. (more…)

Coping with Grief at Work

One of the most difficult parts of losing a loved one is going back to your regular routine. When there is a new and gaping hole in your life, it can seem almost impossible to get up, shower, go to work, run errands, and otherwise go through the motions of daily life. However, most people still have bills to pay, and even with the most progressive employers, bereavement leave rarely lasts longer than a few weeks. (more…)

How to Send a Condolence Email

In our digital age, it is much more common to read about a death on Facebook than it is in the obituary section of the newspaper. It naturally follows that your response to this news might be to write an email expressing your condolences rather than a letter or card. (more…)

Questions to Ask a Funeral Director

If you have never arranged a funeral before, the experience can be incredibly overwhelming. Not only are you dealing with your issues of grief, but the world of funeral planning has its own rules, regulations, and language. If you’re unfamiliar with these, you might quickly break down under the strain of making decisions and knowing how to respond. (more…)

How to Give a Eulogy for a Friend

Few things are more terrifying—or more heartbreaking—than the prospect of giving a eulogy. Not only is public speaking a huge fear for a large percentage of the population, but public speaking when your life has just been turned upside down might feel like the impossible. How can you summarize another person’s life in a speech of just a few minutes? And how can you do it without breaking down? (more…)

How to Give a Eulogy for a Relative

For many people, giving a eulogy for a family member is one of the most difficult aspects of a funeral. Regardless of your feelings on public speaking, the act of standing up in front of a crowd and sharing your pain and emotions is hard to do. Add in the complicated family dynamics that often accompany funerals, and you might feel that it is better to stay seated and let someone else do the eulogizing. (more…)