Monthly Archives: May 2022

Ideas for a Unique Memorial Service

If you find yourself faced with the situation of planning a funeral or memorial service, you may feel at a loss. On top of coping with the loss of a loved one, you must think about planning for their final arrangements, and all the logistics that are involved. Don’t be afraid to connect with your provider of cremation services near College Park, MD, for help. Many people who have their loved ones cremated choose to hold a memorial service rather than a traditional funeral. This allows for a bit more freedom when it comes to timing and planning. There are many ways you can make the memorial service unique and personal to the memory of your loved one, and family and friends can help.

One thing that you will likely want to include in the services is photos of your loved one. You can ask around family and friends to see if they have any older or newer photos. You can also bring some keepsakes that belonged to your loved one, as a way to make the event more personalized. People attending the services will enjoy looking at photos of the departed’s past, and younger family members may even see a side of their loved one that they never knew before.

Another thing to consider is the music that will be played. You don’t have to play formal classical music if that doesn’t seem to be fitting for your loved one. They may have had a list of songs they wanted to be played, or you may know them well enough to choose music that will help everyone attending remember them. You can also put together a slideshow of photos and videos that can be played throughout the service.

One of the benefits of holding a memorial service is that it does not have to take place immediately after death. If your loved one had a love of nature and the outdoors, you may even consider planning their services in an outdoor location. If they passed away during the cold months, you have the freedom to wait and plan their memorial for a time with more agreeable weather. This will also give faraway family and friends a chance to make their travel plans more easily. You may also want to consider planning a scattering ceremony if they wanted their ashes to be placed somewhere in particular.

These are just a few ideas to think about when it comes to planning a memorable memorial service. Make sure that family and friends have the opportunity to tell stories and share memories of the deceased. You can even include any cultural customs or traditions that were important to your loved one. After receiving cremation services near College Park, MD, ask the professionals there to help you with planning the memorial service. They can make more suggestions about where to hold it, what to bring, and what else to include. That way, you can ensure that it will be a special and memorable day celebrating the memory of your loved one.

Tips for Writing a Unique and Memorable Obituary

When a loved one passes away, one of the tasks that must be done is to write their obituary. This can be a difficult, yet cathartic, experience. It can be done by one person, or several family members can write it together. Don’t be afraid to ask your funeral home near College Park, MD, for guidance on writing a memorable obituary. Here are a few things you can keep in mind to make it a meaningful homage to your loved one.

First of all, you’ll need to include some personal information about your loved one. Their name, date, and place of birth, parents, children, siblings, and grandchildren may all be included. You can also include where they went to school and where they worked, as well as details about any time served in the military. Of course, each person is different, and the details that you choose to write about will depend on the life your loved one lived.

After getting the basics covered, you can start to delve deeper into details about their life. Perhaps they faithfully attended a particular place of worship or belonged to a team or social club. Maybe they were active in local government or spent time volunteering in the community. Think about the things that they loved to do. Did they create art, have a garden, or play an instrument? Perhaps they were an avid runner or a talented chef. All these personal details can be described in their obituary. You can use words to paint an image of their life for family, friends, acquaintances, and the community to read and remember them by.

Another idea is to sit down and think about any fond memories or stories you have about your loved one. Ask family and friends as well. Perhaps there was a quote that they were known for saying or a classic story about them that everyone remembers them by. Including these kinds of personal anecdotes is a great way to make an obituary more unique and memorable.

Finally, their obituary should include any details you want to share about their funeral or memorial services, as far as when and where it will take place. This is a way to inform the community of how they can attend their services, without you having to make all the phone calls to each person individually. If your loved one had a particular charity that they wished for donations to be made in their honor, you may include this information as well.

An obituary is a way to inform the community of a person’s passing, but it is also a way to preserve their memory in an official capacity. Future generations can access this information and learn lots of new details about their family. Your funeral home near College Park, MD, can give you more advice on what to include in your loved one’s obituary, and they can help you find the right ways to publish it. Making it memorable and unique will provide a lasting, meaningful tribute to your loved one that can be read for years to come.

How are Cremation Services Better for the Environment?

These days, it’s more important than ever to consider how our actions impact the world around us. As we become more aware of the potential effects of what we do, it’s easier to make smarter choices. This can even apply to our final arrangements after death. Traditional burial comes with a host of issues that greatly impact the earth. However, if you opt for cremation services near Adelphi, MD, you can mitigate your negative impacts greatly.

One of the biggest issues that come with traditional burial is the number of resources that it uses. For one thing, it uses a great deal of land, and cemeteries are becoming more and more overcrowded. With cremation, you don’t even necessarily have to bury the remains at all. If you do, they take up much less space than a casket, and several different family members can be buried within a single burial plot. Secondly, consider all the hardwood and valuable metals that are used to construct caskets. It’s said that within an average cemetery there is enough hardwood to build an entire neighborhood’s worth of houses! Many tons of steel and copper are buried as well, to sit underground for centuries to come. None of these issues exist with cremation services.

Next, consider the chemicals that enter the ground with traditional burial. Many people are put through the embalming process, which uses toxic chemicals to slow down the decomposition process. When they are buried, these chemicals are buried with them. Additionally, many caskets have toxic chemicals sprayed on their exterior to improve their appearance and extend their life. These substances enter the ground as soon as the casket does. With cremation services, none of these harmful things are used. Even if the cremated remains are buried, there are no toxic chemicals involved.

With both cremation and traditional burial, there are more environmentally-friendly items coming onto the market. For instance, you can find biodegradable caskets and urns, which will naturally break down in the soil and will not leave any harmful traces. Biodegradable urns can be buried in the earth or at sea, and will not leave a negative impact on the environment. If you or your loved one are committed to living a “greener” lifestyle and lessening your footprint on the environment, there are plenty of ways to bring these values into your final arrangements.

All of this isn’t to say that cremation services are perfect. They do release harmful greenhouse gases into the environment, such as carbon dioxide, which have been shown to contribute to climate change. However, when compared with the overall impacts that traditional burial has, cremation services near Adelphi, MD, are clearly a more eco-friendly option. You can ask your funeral home and cremation service provider for more information, especially if you want to find out more about biodegradable and eco-friendly merchandise. They can help you make sure that your lasting imprint on the earth will not affect it in a negative way, and you can be at peace knowing you did all you could to protect your planet.

Planning a Post-Funeral Reception

Planning a funeral is a difficult thing to do. You’re trying to cope with a recent, devastating loss, figuring out how to grieve, and dealing with many logistical tasks. However, you don’t have to do it alone. At your funeral home near Adelphi, MD, the professionals there are experienced with all aspects of making arrangements after someone’s death. One thing that is sometimes overlooked or forgotten about is the custom of a post-funeral reception. These are a way for everyone to convene and usually eat and drink together after the long and taxing day of funeral services. Sometimes they are spontaneously planned, but it can be helpful to think about your options beforehand.

The first thing you’ll want to consider is where everyone will gather. You have a wide array of choices here, and it will mostly come down to how many people are coming, how much you’re willing to spend, and how much work you and your family want to put in. For example, if it will be a smaller gathering, you may want to save money by hosting it at the home of a family member or friend. The downside to this, however, is that the host has the responsibility of opening up their home, and sometimes is faced with cleaning up afterward. Another option is to make a reservation at a favorite restaurant, either at a large table or in a banquet room. This may be a pricier choice, but it takes all the burden off your shoulders when it comes to cooking, serving, and cleanup. If you want to hold the reception at a place of worship or a funeral home’s gathering hall, you have the option of either catering it or making it potluck-style, where everyone brings a passing dish to share. Each of these options has its own benefits, and ultimately it will depend on your situation which one you choose.

In addition to choosing a venue, you will need a plan for the food. Don’t take the responsibility of preparing and cooking everything yourself! Make sure to enlist the help of family and friends if you are choosing to hold a potluck-style dinner. That way everyone can contribute, and no one is faced with too much responsibility and stress. If this isn’t what you prefer, you can also order catered food for the post-funeral reception. This way, everyone can focus on being together and reminiscing, rather than feeling stressed about cooking and making preparations. Finally, you can make reservations at a restaurant, and eat there. Depending on how much you want to spend, one of these options will likely work for you.

A post-funeral reception is a good way for everyone to unwind a bit after a difficult and emotional day. Family and friends can have a chance to catch up in a more informal setting, and fond memories and stories of the departed can be shared. Ask your funeral home near Adelphi, MD, if you need suggestions as to where to host it, and for anything else, you may need help with as well. That way you have as little stress as possible, and can focus on being with your family and grieving your loss.

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