The LAST THING you want to do

(Page 6 of 6)

August/September 2001
By Tim Matson 
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Whether you build a coffin, bury a body or help plan a service, it's essential to play a part in funeral preparation to achieve a sense of closure. More than a year after her father's death, a friend still regrets being rushed through memorial preparations by the undertaker. "He handled everything," she said. "I don't feel like I was really involved, it happened so fast."

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Whether you build a coffin, bury a body or help plan a service, it's essential to play a part in funeral preparation to achieve a sense of closure.

As for my plans, aside from the choice to be cremated, I'm leaving it up to my family to arrange a memorial service. Surprise me. But forget the cardboard box. I found a fallen maple tree limb and carved it into an urn. It's not big enough to sleep in, but it makes a great cookie jar, while I'm waiting.

Adapted from Round Trip to Deadsville, by Tim Matson. © 2000 Tim Matson, published in the U.S. by Chelsea Green Publishing Co., White River Junction, Vermont, or call MOTHER'S Bookshelf at (800) 888-9098.

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  • Jim Bauschke 2/6/2008 12:31:40 PM

    Good article. You may be interested to know that here in west
    Michigan our funeral home (I'm a licensed funeral director) has
    three separate businesses to meet the new consumers' needs: 1) Life
    Story Funeral Homes, www.lifestorynet.com, are full service where
    the funeral director does everything for you. 2) The Today Center,
    www.todaycenter.com, is the place to go for a DIY funeral where a
    funeral home is used to do only the things required of them by law.
    3) eCrematory, soon to be eCrematory.com, is where you go to
    arrange a cremation on line, no fuss no muss. Very few funeral
    homes are willing to offer such clear alternatives because of how
    they threaten their existing revenue and profitability.

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