Category Archives: cremations

What Should You Write on Funeral Flowers

Knowing what to say to someone who has lost a loved one can be extremely difficult. Sending funeral flowers to be displayed at the service is one of the most common ways to express sympathy to someone you care about. People typically include a message with these flowers. The cremation services in College Park, MD would like to discuss the custom of sending funeral flowers with appropriate messages. This is extremely useful if you know someone who has recently experienced loss or if you want to be prepared the next time this happens.

The best funeral flower messages are brief, heartfelt, true to the deceased’s life, and appropriate for the occasion. You can address the message to the deceased or the family depending on your relationships and what feels right.

Funeral Flower Message Guidelines

Keep your message brief.

The family will most likely receive numerous notes and flowers in the days following their loved one’s death, which may be overwhelming. You don’t want to add to their anxiety by sending a long message that takes a long time to read and respond to.

Demonstrate compassion.

Funeral flowers are used to decorate a funeral, express your love for the deceased, and let the family know you’re thinking of them. A note of compassion can be extremely comforting to a bereaved family.

Personalize the message.

If possible, share a brief anecdote about the deceased to shed new light on them or to reveal a side of them that the family may not have been aware of. It may also help you through the grieving process to recall a particular moment with the deceased.

Use humor as long as it is appropriate and tasteful.

If the deceased was a known jokester, including some humor in your funeral flower message would not be inappropriate. However, use your best judgment and remember that the family may not be in the mood to laugh when they read your message.

Do not make the message religious if the family and the deceased are not religious.

While thinking about faith may be comforting at this time, if the deceased was not religious, the family may take offense if you mention it in your message.

Do not try to outdo everyone else.

This is not a competition, so don’t act like it. Your message should be sincere and personal. Don’t be concerned about other people’s messages, and don’t try to one-up or be the best .

Don’t forget to include a message.

Even if you intend to send the flowers anonymously, including a brief message of compassion and love is polite.

Do not discuss the cause of death.

Because the family knows how their loved one died, you do not need to draw attention to it in the funeral flower message.

Sending flowers is a traditional and heartfelt way to express your love and grief for a lost loved one. The best funeral flower messages are heartfelt, sincere, and comforting. They should also be personalized for the deceased so the family knows you weren’t just going through the motions when you sent the flowers. For more information, contact Donald V. Borgwardt Funeral Home, P.A., for cremation services in College Park, MD.

Foods for the Bereaved

Every year, cremation services in Adelphi, MD assist many families in honoring and saying goodbye to their loved ones. During each service, the departed’s family and friends support one another in their sorrow. When individuals ask what they can do to aid those who are grief-stricken, one of the finest recommendations is to cook or offer food to the heartbroken family. Food always brings people together and is a significant part of most events.

Food is a vital part of life, particularly when one is in mourning. Individuals in anguish are often so exhausted that they neglect to care for themselves, including eating suitably. A nourishing meal may be one of the most valuable things you can give a mourning family.

Ideas for Providing Nourishing Food to the Grieving

Make a nutritious meal.
A healthy meal will be most beneficial if you cook a sympathy meal for a grief-stricken person. While making sweets or other treats is fine, a hearty meal will have a greater impact.
Notify the family that you will be cooking a meal for them.
Advise the family that food is on its way but do not give them the choice to refuse it. Those mourning normally grumble that they do not want aid, even when they do.
Use dishes and containers you don’t need to be returned.
Attempt to pack the food in non-returnable containers. If you don’t have any, dollar stores and department stores sell inexpensive packaging that can be used for this.
Purchase groceries or order catered food.
Not everybody is a great cook, but that doesn’t mean you can’t offer sympathy food for a grieving family. Instead of cooking the food, purchase a bag of groceries containing foods that do not necessitate preparation. Bread, cheeses, and meats, as well as fruit and vegetable platters, could be considered.
Make an appointment to visit.
You don’t want to carry your sympathy meal to the family’s household when no one is around. Before you bring the meal, communicate with the family to find out when they will come home. You should drop off the food at a time when the family can eat it while it is still new and warm.
Include a note with the food.
A note with the comfort food is a pleasant special touch. In the note, you can include condolences and any other significant information the family should consider. This could comprise ingredients or rewarming directions if essential.
Invite the family to dinner.
As an alternative to carrying a meal to the grieving family, request them to come to dinner at your household. You can still serve comfort foods to the grief-stricken family, but you should also give them an excuse to get out and mingle.
Keep allergies and dietary restrictions in mind.

Consider the family’s food allergies and dietary restrictions. If you’re unsure, don’t be afraid to ask.

There are numerous dishes to choose from if you are serious about cooking a sympathy meal for a bereaved family. You could cook a family recipe or try something new. In either case, making comfort food for someone you know is in mourning is generous and supportive. Contact Donald V. Borgwardt Funeral Home, P.A., for more ideas about cremation services in Adelphi, MD.

Having No Money to Pay for Funeral

Crowdfunding has proven to be a reliable and popular method of raising funds for funerals and memorials. If a family is unsure how to pay for a funeral because they don’t have any money, we frequently see friends and family members who knew the deceased pitch in to donate to a fundraiser or help with bills for related expenses. The cremation services in College Park, MD have seen many families raise the funds they require because people are often grateful to be able to help tangibly. Aside from raising funds, the fundraiser can provide a space for family and friends to share their thoughts and memories.

Funeral Fundraising Suggestions

Storytelling and restaurant fundraiser

Collaborate with a restaurant to raise funds for the funeral of a loved one. Request the restaurant to donate a small percentage of its sales on a specific night. The event attracts new customers, and by giving back, the restaurant gains community recognition. Inviting family, friends, and community members to a night of good food and good company will raise funds for your loved one’s funeral expenses while also allowing others to share their memories. You can even make it a storytelling night, with family and friends telling their favorite stories about the deceased.

Sporting event for charitable purposes

Funeral fund-raising ideas can go beyond car washes and bake sales. Holding a benefit tournament in your loved one’s favorite sport is one way to honor or celebrate them while raising funds.

Parks and community centers can make excellent venues, and space is usually free or cheap to reserve. Whatever sport you choose, organize small games, perhaps four-on-four, so that many people can participate at the same time. Participants can pay for their spot on a team by donating to your fundraiser.

Community painting project

If your loved one was an active member of the community, consider commissioning a public mural on a wall provided by a local business or civic organization. You can create a portable mural on canvas for a less public celebration. Locations such as public parks, fields, or community centers can be useful.

Provide paints, tiles, and brushes, or request donations from art stores. At the event, solicit donations for your fundraiser.

Healing in conjunction with a ritual

Mourning is a healing process on many levels, both individually and collectively. An event in which family and friends participate in a healing ritual is one way to promote healing.

You could make a community quilt, a scrapbook of memories, read poetry in a circle, sing in a circle, or plant a tree. You can provide food and drinks to participants if you want. Before the event, solicit donations for your fundraiser.

Funerals unite people to mourn, celebrate and heal. Although the costs can be high, crowdfunding is a tried and true method of raising funds while bringing people together in the name of a loved one. Start your fundraiser right away if you haven’t already. The cremation services in College Park, MD are here to assist you in any way we can. Please contact us right away to schedule an appointment or stop by our office.

The Advantages of Online Memorials

We all have loved ones, families, friends, partners, or children who are the center of our universe. We adore them to the moon and back. With them, we have a lifetime of memories. Some are joyful and bring smiles to our faces, while others bring tears to our eyes; but these are memories that should be saved forever, even after our loved ones have passed away. These are the memories to cherish and enjoy in private, to share with those we care about, and even to pass down to future generations. You should look into cremation services in Adelphi, MD to assist you with preserving your loved one’s memories.

There are several options, but none are as secure or long-lasting as an online memorial. Online memorials help you celebrate the person you love and grieve the loss of a loved one. Let’s see how it goes.

Online Memorials Assist Us in Keeping Memories Alive

Without a permanent record, each of our memories dies along with us. Because everyone who knew the person you loved can share their memories there, an online memorial is an ideal way to ensure that does not happen.

Online Memorials Assist Us in Preserving Memories and Mementos

An online memorial allows you to digitize old printed photos, letters, certificates, and other items and save them in a single location online. As a result, all of the photos and mementos that various family members and friends of your loved one have stored on their mobiles, computers, notebooks, documents, and boxes can be brought together in a solitary, safe, and secure location that is accessible forever.

Online Memorials Enable Us to Tell the Stories of Our Loved Ones

A good online memorial will allow people to share their memories of the deceased. These memorials allow you to comment on other people’s stories, which adds incredible depth to those stories.

Online Memorials Bring Us Together and Encourage Us to Share

In a world where families are increasingly dispersed across the country and the globe, an online memorial is a simple, practical way to bring everyone together to remember and celebrate a loved one who has passed away.

Online Memorials Keep Your Memories, Announcements, and Other Information Safe

Online memorial providers generally use a high level of security to protect memorials and the personal information they store. They use industry-standard encryption technology and data security practices to ensure that only those you allow to see your loved one’s memories can do so. There are different access levels, so you can invite some individuals to see the memorial only, while others can be given access to add memories and comments, for instance. That means everything will be safe and secure for the foreseeable future.

As you can see, these specialized services effectively future-proof your most cherished memories of a loved one. Those memories will be preserved forever, and future generations will be able to learn about the amazing person your loved one was; but perhaps most importantly, an online memorial provides you with a secure, dedicated, purpose-built space to reflect on, celebrate, and relive the laughter you shared in your loved one’s life, and to visit whenever you want. With benefits like these, it’s no surprise that online memorials are becoming increasingly popular. Visit the cremation services in Adelphi, MD for more information. You can also call us right now.

When Might a Family Choose Interment?

Interment can mean several things, but essentially it is the placing of a person’s remains into a permanent and sealed site. This could refer to either burial or an aboveground space, such as a columbarium. With regards to cremation services near College Park, MD, interment is one of many options when it comes to how to handle your loved one’s cremated remains. There are many reasons why a family might choose interment for their loved one, and here are a few of them.

One of the main points about interment is that it provides a permanent resting place. Many people value this aspect, and some religions actually require it. It can provide great comfort knowing that your loved one’s cremated remains are able to rest in peace, without fear of being moved, tampered with, or misplaced. A person who is planning their own final arrangements may find comfort in this idea as well.

In addition to the ease of mind that a permanent resting place can provide, it can also be nice for family and friends to have a place where they can visit their loved one, any time that they wish. People often visit the grave of a loved one on special occasions such as birthdays or anniversaries. Sometimes, they may simply want to feel close to them on any other given day. The family will often visit to lay flowers or other decorations at their loved one’s grave or niche, as well. This can be a comfort to those who are grieving, and throughout the years can allow you to still feel close to your loved one at times.

Some people may want to scatter some of their loved one’s ashes or keep a portion of them in a keepsake urn or piece of jewelry. However, they might still choose to have the remaining ashes interred. This flexibility is nice for larger families who have differing wants and needs. You can still have the knowledge that your loved one’s remains will rest in peace, but you can also keep a part of them close to you at all times if you wish. One caveat to keep in mind that is with certain religious beliefs, all of the cremated remains must be interred, so keeping some aside for scattering or keepsake jewelry is not permitted.

Interment is one of the most common ways to handle a person’s ashes after they are gone. Because it provides a permanent resting place, as well as a place for family and friends to visit, it is appealing to most families. You won’t have the risk of misplacement that might come with keeping ashes in an urn. If your loved one has passed away and you are looking at different options, contact your provider of cremation services near College Park, MD. They will be able to connect you with a cemetery or columbarium if you don’t already have one in mind. They can also introduce you to the different types of services and merchandise that they have available. Then, you can find a way to lay your loved one to rest that will give you peace of mind.

What are Your Options for Storing Cremated Remains?

After someone you love passes on, there will be many difficult decisions to face. You will have to plan their funeral or memorial service, as well as choose their method of disposition. Hopefully, they will have given you some idea as to what they would have wanted so that you and your family don’t have to make those tough decisions alone. If they chose cremation services near Adelphi, MD then you will have some other things to consider. When a person is cremated, their family receives back their remains in the form of ashes, which are held within a temporary container or urn. What to do with them after this is up to the family.

Many families will purchase an urn to store their loved one’s ashes in. These come in a wide variety of styles, materials, and more. You can find simple engraved wooden boxes, which can be customized to fit your loved one’s memory. Many classic urns resemble large vases, which can be made from ceramic or metal. They may have a variety of patterns on them, or they might be simpler, with a single color and a small engraving. You can also find many more unique styles of urns, some of which might be sculptural, some of which may be intended to be placed outside, and more. These are all available to provide a variety of options because each person has a unique personality and past. That way, you can find one that will properly honor your loved one’s memory and can make you feel like they are closer to you if stored in your home.

Another, more permanent, solution that many people choose is interment. Interment involves either the sealing of a person’s ashes in a columbarium niche or the burial of their ashes in a cemetery. This provides a permanent resting place for your loved one’s remains, and it also provides a place for family and friends to visit any time they want. Many people take comfort in these things and appreciate the fact that their loved one’s remains will be safe and secure for time immemorial. The unfortunate fact is that when you keep an urn in your home, there is always a risk of it suffering damage, or even becoming misplaced over the years. That’s why many people choose interment instead. You can always keep the urn in your home for a period of time, with the intent to eventually have their ashes interred, as well.

These are only two of many different ways to handle a person’s ashes after they have been cremated. What you decide to do will depend on what your loved one wanted, what you and your family prefer, your religious beliefs, and more. It is not a decision to be taken lightly. Your provider of cremation services near Adelphi, MD can help you look through merchandise, and they can also connect you with a cemetery if you are interested in interment. That way, you can choose the best possible way to handle your loved one’s remains, so that they are respected and honored even after they are gone.

Environmental Impacts of Burial vs Cremation Services

There are a growing number of reasons to consider the way our actions impact the world around us. This can relate to nearly every aspect of our lives, from what foods we eat to what kind of cars we drive. You might not have considered it, but even a person’s final arrangements can have some kind of environmental impact. Whether you choose traditional burial or cremation services near College Park, MD for yourself or your loved one, there will be some kind of ecological footprint left behind. Here are some of the ways that each one might compare to the other when it comes to their environmental impacts.

First of all, let’s take a look at cremation services. The cremation process is not a perfectly clean process, although it does have a relatively minimal impact. The main issue is the creation of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, which are released during cremation. Additionally, there may be more toxic substances released depending on if the person had anything like mercury dental amalgams, etc.

When it comes to traditional burial practices, it becomes a little bit more complicated. There are different factors that can result in a greater or lesser negative effect on the environment. For example, it’s very common for people to purchase embalming services, so that their loved one may have a viewing prior to their funeral. Embalming uses several different chemicals, some of which are toxic, like formaldehyde. After the burial, these substances are able to enter the soil and may harm the local ecosystems. There are some more eco-friendly embalming methods available, however, they are generally not as effective and don’t last for as long of a time.

Another issue with burial is that many caskets are made with materials that have been treated to delay their decaying and breaking down in the soil. Typically, these are valuable hardwoods that have been chemically treated to last longer. The chemicals used for these treatments are also detrimental and toxic to the soil, which is an issue that many people want to avoid. Fortunately, there are options out there for untreated wood caskets, as well as using other natural materials like a cloth shroud made of linen, cotton, or silk. This option also reduces the use of valuable resources like precious metals and hardwoods that may be put to use in other ways, rather than being buried in the ground.

As you can see, there’s not a straightforward answer when it comes to which is better for the environment. Cremation has its own issues, and burial has many as well. With burial, many of these problems can be addressed and avoided, which is a fortunate thing. However, when you look at a traditional burial and compare it to cremation services near College Park, MD, cremation is less impactful in many ways. If your loved one was passionate about the environment in life, you may want to try and plan their final arrangements in a more responsible way. You can do this by choosing cremation services, or by opting for more eco-friendly practices for their burial.

Different Types of Memorial Jewelry

When a person passes away, it’s common for their loved ones to honor their memory in some lasting way. Some people bury their loved ones’ remains and mark their place of rest with a gravestone or marker of some kind. Others will scatter their loved one’s ashes in a beloved place. If a person has chosen cremation services near Adelphi, MD, as their method of disposition, then their family may purchase a special urn to hold their cremated remains. You might choose one or any combination of these ways to pay tribute to your loved one’s memory. Another powerful way to keep them close to you is with memorial jewelry.

Memorial jewelry comes in many different forms. One of the most popular kinds of memorial jewelry has a small vessel that can contain a small number of ashes. This design allows you to keep a tiny part of your loved one close to you at all times, as long as you are wearing the piece. While the basic idea is the same across the board, this kind of memorial jewelry comes in a wide variety of styles. You can find bracelets, necklaces, and more, and there are all kinds of different charms and shapes available. This makes it easier to choose one that best represents your loved one’s memory, so you can pick a style that will remind you of them every time you wear it. Another benefit to this type of memorial jewelry is that multiple family members and even friends can purchase their own pieces of jewelry so that many different loved ones can keep a part of that person with them.

Another type of special memorial jewelry requires you to send your loved one’s ashes to a place where they will be processed into an actual diamond. These places can use the cremated remains to create a beautiful and genuine diamond gem. It will have that much more meaning, knowing that it was created using their actual ashes. You can order a special cut, style, and setting for it. You might want a ring, a bracelet, a charm, or a necklace made to hold this memorial diamond. If your spouse or partner passed away, this could be a meaningful and long-lasting way to honor their memory in your life. This can also become a family heirloom, able to be passed down among the generations for years to come.

Memorial jewelry is just one meaningful and special way to honor a loved one after they’ve passed on. The types described here can be gotten if a person has chosen cremation services near Adelphi, MD, as their method of disposition, but you can find others that do not require the use of their remains as well. Thumbprint jewelry is an example of this. If you want a piece that can be worn every day or simply for special occasions, there will be a piece of memorial jewelry that will fit your needs. Your funeral home or cremation service provider can show you a catalog of the merchandise that they have to offer.

What is a Biodegradable Urn?

Many people look for special ways to honor their loved ones after they have undergone cremation services near College Park, MD. There is a huge variety of ways to do this with a person’s ashes. For many families, a permanent place of rest is non-negotiable. The best option for these families is generally interment, either in a columbarium niche or in a cemetery. There are many people who express the wish for their remains to be scattered or placed in a meaningful location. This is often done with scattering, but biodegradable urns are an option as well.

Biodegradable urns are fairly self-explanatory. They’re urns, which are containers made to hold a person’s cremated remains, but they are made of natural materials. Rather than the traditional ceramic, wood, or metal that you might typically associate with urns, they’re made from things like paper, cardboard, or other items that can naturally break down into the environment. They can be found in simple shapes, or you can find ones that resemble things like sea turtles and starfish, which are typically used for burials at sea.

If your loved one wanted their ashes to be laid to rest in a meaningful place, one of your options to do this is scattering their ashes there. However, this is not right for every family, and that’s where biodegradable urns can be useful instead. They are a special way to give a person burial at sea or in the ocean. Rather than trying to handle a container of ashes, you can place them all into the urn and gently release them into the water. It will briefly stay on the surface, and then you and your loved ones can watch as it slowly sinks into the water, before finally coming to rest at the bottom of the sea.

You can also use biodegradable urns to have a more eco-friendly burial. Rather than burying their ashes in a traditional urn that will take many years to break down into the soil, you can use a biodegradable one that will quickly become a part of the environment again. Many people are taking an interest in finding out ways to better protect the planet, and this is one simple way to do that. You can take comfort in the fact that you are helping to keep a cleaner planet for future generations to live on.

If you or your loved one had a passion for the planet, or if they expressed the wish to be buried at sea, you might want to learn a little more about what’s available when it comes to biodegradable urns. Your provider of cremation services near College Park, MD, can show you what they have available to purchase, and they can connect you with other resources as well. Then you can plan a water burial or land burial for your loved one’s ashes that will have as little impact on the environment as possible. You can find peace knowing that you have chosen to take steps that protect the planet.

What are Solidified Remains?

When a person has been cremated, their remains are returned to their family in the form of bone ashes. These are contained within a temporary urn, and the family chooses what to do with them from that point. Your provider of cremation services near Adelphi, MD can help you figure out what to do with your loved one’s remains, whether you choose to keep them in an urn, have them interred in a columbarium or cemetery, or scatter them. Another option is to have them processed into solidified remains.

So, what are solidified remains and how are they made? Essentially, they are able to take a person’s ashes and transform them into beautiful, solid pieces. An end result is a number of items that resemble river rocks, worn smooth and round. They are typically white in color, although variations in color do occur sometimes. You will receive a number of these solidified items back, and they come in a variety of sizes. They are natural and beautiful in appearance, all the more so because they are created using your loved one’s ashes.

What is the point of getting solidified remains? Many people are attracted to the river rock appearance. Rather than having a large amount of difficult-to-handle ashes that must be stored in an urn or interred, you can create a beautiful memorial to your loved one in your home with their solidified remains. Additionally, they can be shared amongst different households and friends. Solidified remains are easily transported, and you can even choose one to carry with you everywhere you go. Many people love to search for and collect rocks, especially those that are found near rivers or lakes. This would be the perfect way to memorialize that type of person, and it would give you a constant positive reminder of their character and memory.

Out of the many different ways to memorialize a person, solidified remains are only one of the options that are available. They aren’t right for every family, but if it strikes you as something that your loved one would have appreciated, you might want to look into it a little more in-depth. While it doesn’t provide a permanent resting place like an interment, it does give the option of sharing their remains amongst several different households. You can even lay some of the “rocks” to rest in beloved places, similar to scattering. This flexibility is just one of the reasons that solidified remains appeal to many different families.

You may have more questions about the process that creates solidified remains. You can find more information online, or ask your provider of cremation services near Adelphi, MD. They will be able to connect you with the right people who can answer any and all of your questions. If this seems like a process that would provide an apt memorial for your loved one, you may want to explore it a little bit further. If you decide to go with solidified remains for your loved one, you will be able to appreciate the natural beauty that they provide.

BLOG