How to Overcome the Death of a Child

It is a horrible experience to witness your child’s death. It is painful because you are mourning the end of a kid at a young age. In the eyes of parents who have experienced the loss of a child, death at such a young age makes no sense—mainly when death occurs suddenly and without warning. Loss may be suffocating because it cuts so deep. If you or a member of your family is struggling with this type of loss, here are some suggestions to assist you and your family cope. You can also reach out to funeral homes Adelphi, MD. They’re reputable establishments grounded in helping families overcome grief.

Sticking Together

The death of a child is a test of the strength of the family’s bond. An unexpected death can cause chaos in a family’s life and relationships. In these cases, it is critical that the family remains united and supports one another during the grieving process. While everyone in the family will require their time, you can also find solace in one another. It is easier to realize that you are not alone in your sadness when with someone. Make use of the power of your family’s sense of belonging to assist you in dealing with your grief. Be present to help one another consistently.

Seek Professional Assistance

Everyone grieves differently, and losing a child may strain a marriage and each parent’s connection with their still-alive children. When it comes to coming to grips with your loss, seek expert assistance. Don’t try to figure out how to get out of this situation by yourself. Family counseling will provide you and your loved ones with the tools they need to cope with the very traumatic loss you have experienced.

Decide to Happy

One of the most challenging obstacles parents face upon returning to the realm of the living after the death and loss of a child is their reluctance to embrace happiness — or even the recognition that joy exists. On the other hand, pleasure or enjoyment is one of the most crucial survival strategies, even if it is only for a few periods during your grieving. To chuckle amid the sadness or smile at someone or something is a means of getting away from sorrow. You may feel as though your laughter betrays the memories of your child, but you must remember that you are not forsaking your sorrow by having a good time with yourself. The only way to endure grief is to take a break from it now and again.

Pay Attention to Your Physical and Mental Health

Grief may overpower Parents and their children to the point where they cannot pay attention to their overall well-being. They may refuse to eat or exercise and rely on fast food because they lack the energy to prepare meals. They may also overlook scheduling frequent medical visits and checkups. While it is vital to make an effort to eat healthfully and get some exercise, it is also necessary not to punish yourself for not going to the gym or cooking lavish meals regularly. To get back on track, start with small steps.

The most important thing is to rely on family and friends and often interact, even when it is difficult to converse. You can also talk to specialists, such as funeral homes Adelphi, MD, who can assist you in processing your feelings and coming up with practical solutions for moving forward with your life.

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.

What Is the Role of a Mortician

Morticians play an important role in providing death care services. They use their interpersonal, scientific, and business skills to communicate with deceased people’s family members and loved ones, plan services based on their requests, and prepare the body for funeral proceedings. This article will greatly assist you if you are looking for funeral homes in College Park, MD that provide compassionate care to people in difficult situations.

What Exactly Does a Mortician Do

A mortician oversees all aspects of funerals for the deceased and their loved ones. While their responsibilities vary depending on the size of the funeral home, they frequently include embalming and making preparations for the deceased person for private viewing before or during the funeral, offering assistance and guidance about funeral service options to the deceased person’s friends and relatives, assisting individuals in pre-planning their funeral arrangements, organizing the funeral and memorial services, and arranging for burial or cremation based on the deceased person’s or the family’s wishes.

A mortician’s common job duties today also include assisting the family in deciding between cremation and burial, if not already indicated by the deceased; assisting the family in selecting the casket or urn for the deceased; making preparations for obituary notices to announce the death; timetabling for the wake, funeral, and burial; organizing pallbearers and clergy for religious rites; preparing for cremation, or arranging for the opening and closing of the grave with the cemetery; embalming the body for viewing; ensuring that the services provided meet the wishes of the person who died; offering to counsel the bereaved family and friends; providing transportation for the bereaved and the deceased; organizing the retrieval and transportation of the body out of state or out of the country, or simply from the hospital; filing death certificates and other legal papers; and transcribing death certificates and other legal documents.

Mortician Abilities

Compassion

Morticians must be compassionate as they deal with loved ones and family members who cope with the passing of a dearly departed one.

Interpersonal skills

Morticians use tact, patience, and a soothing demeanor to assist people in making plans for those who are nearing the end of their lives or have recently passed away.

Technical skills

Morticians’ technical skills enable them to embalm and perform restorative techniques that honor the deceased by complementing their clothing and cosmetics.

Verbal communication skills

When conducting funeral services, morticians must communicate confidently and respectfully.

Objectivity

Because death traditions differ from culture to culture and family to family, morticians use objective practices to respect the deceased’s and their loved ones’ wishes without passing judgment.

Time management

Morticians must prioritize tasks such as burial and cremation and ensure they provide services to multiple clients efficiently and competently.

Morticians who work at funeral homes in College Park, MD spend the majority of their time preparing the deceased and conducting funeral services. They also travel to places of worship, private homes, cemeteries, and other memorial or burial sites to conduct funeral services for the deceased. Long shifts are common during the week and on weekends, as services are frequently performed in the evenings and on weekends. Morticians also have on-call hours during which they are available to help clients who need it. For more information about the best morticians in the area, don’t hesitate to contact us immediately.

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.

Popular Funeral Sympathy Plants

It is customary to send sympathy plants to express your sorrow and support during this difficult time when someone you know dies or suffers loss. Many people prefer a florist to choose the plants for them, but you can make the plants you send more personal by learning about their meaning. The funeral homes in Adelphi, MD can assist you with this.

Why Are Sympathy Plants Used at Funerals

The practice of sending sympathy plants and displaying plants at funerals has a long history, most likely dating back to around 80,000 years ago in Iraq. A male Neanderthal was discovered in the Shanidar caves, surrounded by the remains of various wildflowers, including pollen deposits and flower fragments. Dr. Solecki, the excavation director, determined that the flowers were placed on the burial site after further examination of the soil samples.

Since then, flowers and other plants have played a role in funeral practices worldwide. One theory for why this tradition began is that flowers’ pungent and pleasant odor masks the odor of rot and decay from a body.

Popular Sympathy Plants

Roses

Not only are they beautiful and widely adored, but you can also personalize your message to the deceased based on the color of the rose you send.

Lilies

The lily, known as the peace lily, is the most popular sympathy plant. Many people nowadays send lilies to funerals because they know it is a tradition.

Orchids

Orchids, above all, represent love, so you can’t go wrong with this lovely plant to express your feelings for the departed or their loved ones. Orchids last longer than the other flowers on this list, so the orchid is recommended to give a sympathy plant that will last after the service.

Chrysanthemums

Chrysanthemums are popular plants to send as sympathy gifts, though they have different meanings worldwide. In the United States, they are commonly regarded as fall flowers that represent happiness and well-being. Chrysanthemums are associated with death and mourning in other parts of the world, such as Belgium, Japan, and Austria.

Violets

Violets are often thought to represent everlasting love, remembrance, and innocence, making them appropriate for a sympathy plant.

Hyacinths

Hyacinths, particularly purple hyacinths, represent sorrow, so if you are particularly saddened by the loss and want to express your feelings, these flowers may be an excellent choice.

Carnations

Carnations are lovely flowers that are appropriate for a sympathy arrangement for anyone.

Palm plants

Palm plants are thought to represent protection, so if you want to comfort and protect a grieving loved one, a palm plant can be the ideal sympathy plant.

Oak trees

Because of their steady and consistent growth, oak trees are often revered as symbols of strength and resistance, making them uplifting symbols of life continuing after loss.

Dogwood trees

These trees represent rebirth and resurrection.

We have already discussed why sympathy plants are used at funerals, so you can better understand how this tradition came to be. If you want to learn more about this, don’t hesitate to look into funeral homes in Adelphi, MD, as our team is eager to discuss it. Come see us or call us right away.

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.

Creating Memorial Slideshows

Memorial slideshows have grown in popularity over the years because they are an excellent way to remember a loved one. Slideshows can be used to illustrate life, personality, and hobbies by including surprising, special, and personal details in addition to the typical personal photos. These specifics allow you to share with viewers everything that you believe makes your loved one unique. The funeral homes in College Park, MD can assist you with this.

Creating a funeral slideshow entails going through a lifetime’s worth of photos and mementos. This is frequently a good way to work through grief. It’s also a fun activity to do with your family. Going through old family photos can be a cathartic experience for everyone, as well as a bonding experience for family and friends, full of both laughter and tears.

Slideshows are much more than a collection of images. When properly organized and presented, they can tell the story of a person’s life and personality, their experiences, and the world around them. The slideshow can be designed to be a tribute as well as a wonderful way to share your special memories.

Putting Up Your Memorial Slideshow

The slideshow can be shown in two ways during the funeral or memorial service. The slideshow could be shown during a ceremony, complete with music and dubbing. A slideshow can also be shown at a memorial service or reception. The slideshow will be only part of the display at a memorial reception, and there should probably be no music or dubbing because people are often socializing.

Selecting Software for Memorial Slideshows

A slideshow can be shown by projecting it from a computer or by displaying it on a digital photo frame. First, decide on the software to be used. There are numerous options, some of which are free and some of which must be purchased. There are numerous options available if you use a computer. Google Slides in Google Docs is the most basic and free slideshow option. You can use Google Photos to upload images and create an online slideshow. While it is free and simple, it has fewer features than most slideshow software. Music cannot be easily added, and transitions are limited. You can also download the slideshow as a PowerPoint presentation, but if you don’t have PowerPoint, the slideshow works best when presented through Google Docs.

Gathering Photos for a Memorial Slideshow

Plan on six to eight photos per minute when gathering photos for a funeral slideshow. 60 to 80 photos would be required for a ten-minute slideshow. When going through old photos, try to gather photos of your loved one as a baby, child, or young person. Collect photos that depict relationships, such as spouses, dating, friends, and even pets. Consider graduation, jobs, children, memberships, hobbies, the armed forces, volunteer work, special vacations, and more.

When you have everything ready to go for the slideshow, import the photos into your slideshow software. Remember to include who is in the photo, where it was taken, when it was taken, and what occasion it was taken for. The more information you provide, the more viewers will enjoy learning about your loved one. I hope this information assists you in creating a beautiful, memorable memorial slideshow for your special loved one. These slideshows can help creators not only work through their grief, but they can also be cathartic for viewers as you, your family, and your community share memories. For more information, contact the funeral homes in College Park, MD.

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.

Eulogy for a Close Friend

It’s terrifying not to see your best friend again; it fills your mind with anguish and sorrow. After experiencing a sudden loss, writing a eulogy for a friend’s sudden death is extremely difficult. Finding words to describe your feelings during a time like this is difficult. However, it is also critical to share their impact on the community and us.  How do you write a eulogy for your closest friend? Let the funeral homes in Adelphi, MD assist you in comprehending what an obituary is and how you can compose a heartfelt eulogy for a friend.

You can pay a heartfelt tribute to a friend at a funeral by preparing an obituary or a eulogy for them. You may include little memories that surfaced while growing up together and reminiscing about the life you two shared.

What Exactly Is an Obituary

Almost everyone has heard the phrase obituary at some point in their lives. It could be in the tiny side articles of the daily newspaper, radio announcements, or television broadcasts. It’s a method of conveying to the world through your words on paper that your cherished one has passed on to the afterlife.

What Exactly Is a Eulogy

In layman’s terms, a eulogy is a life sketch or tribute speech read at a loved one’s funeral. It can also be expressed in the form of a song or a poem, or it can be presented in the form of symbolic items placed on or near the coffin, such as something the beloved deceased has enjoyed or treasured, such as their favorite flowers, hockey stick or toys, or other similar items.

Reading a few short eulogy examples for a friend will give you a good idea of what to say or write.

An obituary is not the same thing as a eulogy, which is typically delivered at a funeral or memorial service. An obituary is a piece of writing, whereas a eulogy is a speech delivered at a loved one’s memorial service. Choosing a speaker is an important part of funeral planning.

A well-written obituary can be a good place to start for the person delivering the eulogy at your friend’s funeral or memorial service. You can also use it as part of the death notice or the memorial service program.

Creating a Eulogy for a Friend

Many people wonder how to write a eulogy for a friend. Examining numerous obituaries written by families and friends reveals that an excellent funeral tribute to a friend tells the stories of the beloved one’s life in their tone, using their language, thinking, perspectives, and similar.

It’s always a good idea to have at least two people, including one family member, proofread your obituary for spelling, grammar, and factual errors. If something incorrect is published, family members may be upset.

The goal of putting together a eulogy is to reconcile glimpses of the beloved one we lost and to pay tribute to a friend at a funeral. Death is a natural and unavoidable part of life. All that remains are the memories of the person who lived, which we cherish through the glimpses of the world we shared with them. Thus, writing a farewell funeral speech for a friend is critical for preserving the essence of the deceased in the words of their loved ones. The funeral homes in Adelphi, MD provide a wonderful way to honor the life of a loved one. People close to them will be able to reminisce about their lives for generations to come. Call or visit us right away.

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.