Monthly Archives: January 2020

How to Help a Grieving Friend

Every cremation services Wickliffe, OH honors a human being. For the survivors, it can be absolutely devastating. When someone you know is afflicted with grief, it’s natural to want to help them. It’s tough to see someone you love in pain. You can’t work miracles but you might be able to make them feel marginally better. Every slight improvement matters.

So, what exactly can you do? That depends on the nature of your relationship with your friend. If the grieving person is just an acquaintance or a colleague, being polite and respectful. You don’t have to do anything specifically. If you would like to something, a simple card would be appropriate.

When a close friend is grieving, you may be called on to do a lot more. Anything from hanging out with them to organizing the memorial service yourself. At some point, every life will be touched by death. The best thing that you can do is try to behave in a compassionate way. Death isn’t enjoyable, yet it is unavoidable.

Your friend may want to cry and scream. Try to give them an outlet if you want. For example, you can shout into a pillow. Or, if you think your friend would benefit from a physical release of their pent up feelings, you can try something axe throwing or paintball.

Too many people are scared of being vulnerable. Doing so puts you at risk of being hurt. Yet, when someone is overwhelmed with grief, the surest way to feeling better is to express their feeling. Strong emotions should never be bottled up. They don’t disappear, they simply poison you from within.

A great friend is one of life’s greatest blessings. You can demonstrate why this is true during delicate moments. If your friend asks you to attend the cremation service for support, you should go unless you have a very strong reason not to. If you support your friends, they will hopefully do the same for you at some point.

Small acts of kindness can make someone feel good. So, you can do simple things for your friends like bringing over dinner or babysitting their kids or even taking their kids to your home to stay for a few days. Your friend’s home may be tied up in the bustle of the memorial. Having to worry about small children on top of everything else is tiring.

If your friend isn’t ready to talk about the deceased’s passing, don’t push the issue. That won’t benefit anyone. People need to open up on their own timetable. Talking about what happened may be too difficult. Somehow, things are more real when you put them in words.

Your journey to help your grieving friend may take you to Orlando-Donsante-Previte Funeral Home. We’re located at 29550 Euclid Ave, Wickliffe, OH, 44092. Our expert team can handle all of the details of the cremation services Wickliffe, OH. Please call us at (440) 943-2466 when you’re ready to start planning. We’re sorry for your loss.

5 Tips for Hosting a Funeral reception

Every funeral homes Wickliffe, OH, serves the same purpose. However, when it’s time to plan your own loved one’s funeral, there’s a lot that you need to do. In addition to the memorial service, you also need to think about the funeral reception. This is a traditional meeting that happens after the burial. It gives the mourners a chance to connect with each other on a deeper level.

If you’re planning a funeral reception and don’t know where to get started, read this post.

1. Serve Good Food

Food connects people. Everyone needs to eat and most people feel better when they’re not hungry. After a long stressful day at the funeral, it’s comforting to come back to a fulfilling meal. You don’t have to spend a lot of money or expend a lot of energy. For instance, you can set up a buffet. Or create a few sandwich trays and buy some cookies. The goal isn’t to impress anyone with your culinary greatness, it’s to make the mourners feel better.

2. Plan

Planning a reception is the last thing you want to think about when you’re grieving, but you may feel better knowing that you honored your loved one’s memory in that way. Being busy might actually be helpful. You don’t have to think about your grief. You can lose yourself in the details. At the reception, you may friends and family members of the deceased’s that you’ve never met before. It’s your last little window into their world.

3. Get Help

If doing everything on your own is too overwhelming, get help. You can ask your loved ones or you can hire professional help. Either way, the burden will be shared. You don’t have to take everything onto your own shoulders. Your own health matters as much as anything else. No one benefits if you break down.

4. . Share Stories

During the funeral, there was likely a eulogy. However, it’s possible that there are people who would’ve spoken if they had been given a chance. You can give them the opportunity during the funeral reception. Encourage people to share stories about the deceased. It’s a moving experience for everyone involved. There may be tears, but that’s to be expected. When death strikes, it’s often devastating for those left behind.

5. Be Open

Your grief may feel so heavy that you’re tempted to shut yourself away. It’s better to fight the urge, if possible. The funeral reception will only happen once. In fact, it may be the last time that people gather in one room to talk about the deceased. Allow yourself to give in to your emotions and connect with the people around you. These are the type of memories that you’ll want forever.

At Orlando-Donsante-Previte Funeral Home, one of the premier funeral homes Wickliffe, OH, we can help your family time in their time of need. You can host the funeral at 29550 Euclid Ave, Wickliffe, OH, 44092. Please call us at (440) 943-2466 if you have any questions.

How to Stay Busy When You’re Grieving

If your loved one needs cremation services Willoughby, OH, it’s fair to say that you’re grieving. There is a multitude of different ways that you can handle this. One popular option is to make yourself busier than ever. If your schedule is full of things to do, you don’t have time to dwell on your grief. However, your actions may feel very strange at first. After all, you’re figuring out how to live life without your loved one.

The strangeness will eventually disappear. You will be able to look at yourself in the mirror and know that you’re doing the best you can with the materials you’ve been given. Life rarely goes the way you planned. When your loved one dies, you have to rethink your place in the world. Nothing will feel the same.

Socialize

One of your first instincts may be to lock yourself your way. It’s very hard to face other people when you’re grieving deeply. It means that you will have to speak about what happened. Nothing changes with your words but you have to think about what happened. Verbalizing your feelings makes them seem more real.

If you’re not ready to hang out with your friends, you can try to meet new people. There are free meetups listed online. Find a group that appeals to you. It can be a support group specifically for people dealing with loss. Or you might find more solace doing an unconnected activity. You can meet people who don’t know about your loss.

Volunteer

Doing volunteer work can eat up your extra time and make you feel good. You get to stop thinking about your own problems and can focus on someone else’s needs. If you’re not ready to be around a lot of people, you can volunteer at an animal shelter. A lot of rescues need volunteers to walk dogs and hang out with the cats.

When you’re trying to take your mind off of something important, it will only work if you really commit to it. You have to throw yourself into your new activity.

Exercise

Regular, committed exercise does more than work your body. It can also train your mind. People who are in good shape report feeling better about their lives. It’s clear why this matters when you’re trying to figure out your new life. Exercise is sometimes intimidating, especially when you aren’t used to it. You may find that it’s easier to start slow. Don’t attempt to run five miles on your first day. You can find beginner exercise routines online.

You can take your feelings into your own hands. No matter what happens, as long you’re alive and conscious, you can make yourself feel better. It takes dedication.

Orlando-Donsante-Previte Funeral Home can perform your cremation services Willoughby, OH. We can be reached at (440) 943-2466 or by visiting 29550 Euclid Ave, Wickliffe, OH, 44092. We’re proud of our dedication to our customers. You have enough on your plate. Let us worry about the details.

Significance of Flowers at a Funeral Home

If you visit enough funeral homes Willoughby, OH, you will likely see a lot of flowers. They’re not only lovely to look at, they hold special significance. People have been adorning gravesites and bringing flowers to memorials for a very long time. The type of flower depends on your culture and personal preferences. A lot of people are partial to white flowers.

There are a couple of emotions that you can express with flowers. For instance, you may want to let the deceased’s family know that you’re thinking about them. Expressing sympathy when times are tough is very important. It’s part of our history.

You may also want to purchase flowers if you’re a member of the family yourself, or if the deceased has no surviving family members. In that case, the flowers will adorn the coffin or the gravesite. This symbolizes your lasting love and care.

If you would like to keep a steady supply of flowers at the grave, you can arrange for them to be delivered. Many flower companies allow you to set up regular deliveries as frequently as daily or once a week and as infrequently as once a year.

You may enjoy choosing the arrangement yourself. Certain colors and flowers will naturally appeal to you more than others. If you feel comfortable, let your eye be your judge. Your feelings can’t be explained by any rational rule. If purple peonies hold significance for you, that’s what you should purchase.

Of course, you can also take the opposite route. A good flower shop will be able to do everything for you. Just let them know that you need a flower arrangement suitable for a funeral. Sadly, it’s a request that they’ve heard many times before. Everyone from young children to grandparents know that flowers are appropriate. Something about their beauty soothes the soul.

When you’re overwhelmed with grief, knowing that your loved one’s grave is still being cared for is very calming. It lets you know they’re not forgotten. Flowers on a grave always look well.

If you’re not interested in flowers at the gravesite, you may still want to use them to adorn the coffin. It’s a delicate touch in a tough situation. Death is never pleasant. Yet, there is a way to look at death that doesn’t depress your soul. In one sense, it represents total change. The flowers too are undergoing change. Plucked flowers have a short life, yet they bring joy during their short time.

The right flowers can’t bring your loved one back from the dead. But they might be able to offer you a small bit of comfort in what’s otherwise a very uncomfortable experience. Death may never be easy to deal with.

The caring, professional team at Orlando-Donsante-Previte Funeral Home is ready to satisfy your family’s need for funeral homes Willoughby, OH. Please stop by 29550 Euclid Ave, Wickliffe, OH, 44092 or call (440) 943-2466 when you’re ready to start planning. We know how to schedule appropriate, moving memorial service.

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