Planning a #funneral is never hard and most of the times it’s heartbreaking. Although, October 30th is Create A Great Funeral Day #CreateAGreatFuneralDay. If Charlie and I were #Homeschooling today we would have studied Morticians. What goes into planning a funeral and writing out Obituary. We would have visited a Funeral Home and Cemetary to speak to someone about planning a funeral which would have allowed us to discuss what we would want if one of us were to pass away.
Then we would have served dinner like they used to do after a funeral which would have allowed us to sit down and discuss what we learned. Then we would have visited a Book Store for a book to keep all the information in because one day we will need it. I know this isn’t something you want to discuss with your children but it’s better for them to be prepared because tomorrow isn’t Promised as I found out with Suzzane.
October 30th is Create A Great Funeral Day #CreateAGreatFuneralDay. If you follow our tips and plan for Create a Great Funeral Day on October 30th, you wouldn’t need to dread not knowing how to organize your loved ones’ funerals. On Create a Great Funeral Day, you can also let others in on how you would like to be sent off. Likewise, it is essential for you to know how your near and dear ones want to bid their final farewell.
Stephanie West Allen was greatly overwhelmed during her husband’s funeral when he met with an untimely demise in 1988. She found herself underprepared and emotionally scarred. A decade later, she found her second husband struggling to come to terms with preparing for his mother’s funeral when she passed away.
Her husband was caught between his responsibilities of organizing a decent burial and a need to grieve in peace. She observed that in both cases, it would have helped if the person who passed away could have left some directions on how they wanted to be consigned to the powers beyond.
These experiences prompted Allen to dedicate a day towards planning for the funerals of our near and dear ones to prevent the bereaved from having to run from pillar to post to bid the departed a decent farewell. She wanted to inspire people to sit beside their loved ones and talk about how they would like to leave the world, so she decided to register October 30th as Create a Great Funeral Day.
The aim of Create a Great Funeral Day is to develop an environment where people feel comfortable enough to think and talk about how they would like to be remembered and to allow the peace of mind that comes from knowing the departed soul’s final wishes have been fulfilled.
With everything planned much in advance, funerals will not add to the stress of loved ones who are already struggling with their bereavement. Planning your funeral ahead of time, irrespective of age or state of health is also an excellent way to dwell on your legacy and on leaving good memories behind.
How to Observe Create A Great Funeral Day
- Gather your loved ones and have a casual discussion about the best ways to go about a funeral. Try to keep the tone of the discussion light as the subject of death makes people clam up. Dwell on how to make your funeral memorable by incorporating aspects of your life in it.
- Sit in a quiet place with some soulful music and visualize how you would like people to bid you farewell. Draw a picture in your mind of a peaceful funeral in which people remember you for what memories you have left behind.
- A significant reason people don’t discuss death is the uncertainty and untimely nature of losing a loved one. Discuss your funeral with your loved ones so that whenever it happens, they won’t grapple with the fear of having to live without you. No amount of preparation can help deal with bereavement, but this will reduce the fear around it.
Amazing Books On Planning Funerals
- “Creating Your Own Funeral or Memorial Service” Stephanie West Allen, the founder of Create a Great Funeral Day, wrote this workbook based on her personal experiences.
- “The Party of Your Life” Author Erika Dillman penned a lively guide to making funerals light-hearted and stress-free.
- “A Good Goodbye” In his book, Gail Rubin, a death educator, provides information, inspiration, and tools for giving creative and meaningful send-offs to your loved ones.
- “Death Warmed Over” by Lisa Rogak (Author) A book about funeral customs, rituals, and traditions from across the world.
- “How To Plan A Funeral” Jay Ryman presents a practical guide that helps to navigate funeral planning.
Why Create a Great Funeral Day is Important
- While nobody likes to talk about death, we know it is inevitable. By preparing for it in advance, we remove the stress associated with a final send-off for our loved ones. On Create a Great Funeral Day, we can have a relaxed conversation about funerals, knowing it does not have to be done tomorrow.
- Knowing how our loved ones want to depart from this world helps us give them the best farewell, leaving us to grieve in peace while they rest in peace, and providing some proper closure.
- Most people fear death because of the anxiety associated with it. Discussing death and preparing for your funeral in a light tone, brings some certainty to what happens after such an untimely event, reducing the anxiety.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
