Monthly Archives: May 2021

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Tips for Writing a Condolence Letter

We all want to share the grief and sorrow of our close friend or a family member mourning the loss of a loved one after cremation services Mentor, OH. Research shows that words of empathy and condolence can bring comfort to the bereaved and also expedite the healing process.

A condolence letter is a great gesture of showing your support for your mourning friend and showing that they are not alone during these tough times. If you’re planning on writing a condolence letter to a grieving person, then bone up on the below tips to make it heartfelt.

Remember, try to hand-deliver or have mailed the condolence letter within the first two weeks following the loss.

Points to Include in a Condolence Letter

It should be Personal

First of all, the condolence should be personal and express your deep emotions. Try to add personal components like mentioning the deceased by name or highlighting your special relationship with them. Add qualities, strengths, and achievements of the deceased and how they have cast a positive effect on your life.

You can share a fond memory or moments of happiness spent with the departed soul.

Acknowledge the Pain

In the opening sentences, acknowledge the pain and loss of the bereaved. Don’t highlight the cause and manner of the death but let them know that you realize the rollercoaster of emotions they’re feeling and you’ll be there for them throughout their grief journey.

Express Empathy

Try to write more words for the bereaved and show them how much you care for them. Sentences like, “I am so sorry for your loss” and “I can’t imagine the pain and anxiety you must be feeling right now but I am always thinking of you.”

Never try to draw and comparison of your own grief to theirs. No two grief journeys are the same and shouldn’t be treated as same. So, focus more on offering your condolences and sympathies to provide them comfort and solace.

Offer Practical Help

The days following the death of a loved one can be extremely traumatic for the bereaved and probably a million things are going in their mind – from funeral arrangements to planning about how to return to normal life.

It’s always a pleasant gesture to offer direct and practical support to the bereaved like, “Let me know if there’s any way I could help you.” Some people are too shy to accept such offers so, offer something specific like cooking a few meals, have their clothes and house washed, or running errands for them.

However, avoid making promises that you can’t honor.

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Thoughtful Closing

End your letter on a positive and sympathetic note. Use affectionate and thoughtful words to make it meaningful and heartfelt while also showing your unconditional support for them.

You may write: “With love and deepest condolences”, “My Sincere sympathies”, or ”My thoughts and prayers are always with you.”

Remember, every condolence letter is going to be different and vary in its content depending on the situation and your relationship with the deceased and the bereaved. But all of them include expressions of sympathy, love, affection, and support for the bereaved family. You can send the letter before cremation services Mentor, OH.

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Cemetery Etiquette: How to be Respectful

What Is Cemetery Etiquette?

If there is one place where you want to be at the best of your behavior, it’d be at funeral homes Mentor, OH. Cemeteries are quiet places having their own set of rules that expect you to show utmost respect to both the living and the dead. It is likely that the family of the deceased one recently have a hard time dealing with funeral planning and grief resources, and they probably thoroughly think whether they will choose the cremation process because of its cheaper cremation cost and flexible choice for the cremated remains or still choose the traditional burial. This article will help you to show your utmost respect to the family.

Keeping this in view, this article aims to provide a set of guidance for the people visiting a cemetery to ensure a courteous, peaceful experience for themselves and fellow citizens.

Follow the Rules

The first every visitor should bear in mind is respecting and following the rules of the cemetery. Most cemeteries have a board posted near the entrance which lists all the rules and regulations specific to the visiting area.

Read the guidelines carefully and do your best to follow every single rule like where to sit or stand, where to park your car, or decorations on the graves.

Lower Your Volume

If you need to talk to others, do so in a low voice or hushed tone. Don’t garner unnecessary attention by talking loudly or laughing. That’s against the decorum of a cemetery. Also, don’t abuse or use slang curse words in your conversation.

Drive Slow

Always drive slow and carefully in a cemetery. Usually, cemeteries have narrow lanes and a lot of mourning people crossing in front of you. It’s advisable to drive as slow as 10 miles per hour or even slower if there’s a gathering.

Don’t go After Hours

Follow the visit timing of the cemetery. Most cemeteries are open from dawn till dusk. Schedule your visit during the allowed timing to avoid being charged with trespassing.

Respect the Graves

Avoid touching any monument or headstone as it can be perceived as a sign of being disrespectful and can damage the graves as well- especially the older ones. Don’t try to remove flowers, coins, or anything else placed on the grave to clean it. The families deliberately leave these tributes to pay homage to the deceased.

Don’t Use Electronic Devices

Silence your mobile or other electronic devices before entering the cemetery. If you have to take an urgent call, speak in as low a tone as possible as there may be a funeral in progress.

Don’t take photos of other graves or people you don’t know. Show utmost respect to both the deceased and the attendees present in the cemetery.

Don’t Let Children Run Wild

If you bring children with you, keep your eyes on them. Bar them from shouting, yelling, laughing too loud, or playing and climbing on graves. Advise them to be at the best of their behavior and show utmost respect to other attendees.

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Don’t Leave Rubbish

Don’t litter as it puts an extra burden on the caretakers and is also a sign of being disrespectful. Use designated receptacles to dispose of your garbage. It’s a thoughtful idea to pick up any litter or trash on the way back to your car.

Give Privacy to Other Visitors

If any funeral is in process, give privacy to the attendees and take care not to come in the way of the procession such as families are sending flowers. Avoid talking to other visitors – not even say hello. You can always nod and smile if the other person looks at you and makes it clear to want to talk. You can learn more tips at funeral homes Mentor, OH. You can also plan ahead your funeral planning and grief resources so you can carefully choose your desired services in the funeral industry.

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Unique Ways to Honor Someone’s Memory

How Do You Commemorate Someone?

The family recently face a hard time dealing with funeral planning and grief resources and in the latter part, they choose the cremation process because of the affordability of its cremation cost and pliable choice for the ashes but still, they need comfort. Hence, memorializing the lost loved one after cremation services Willoughby Hills, OH, can be as creative as it can get. Aside from honoring the deceased, many people also find comfort and relief in creating physical memorial tributes and arranging original events or activities.

Research also shows that it’s healthy to indulge in ways to keep the memory of the departed soul alive and feel connected to them.

Memorializing Deceased Loved Ones

Here are some of the most exciting and enthralling ways to honor your lost loved one:

Plant a Memorial Garden and Visit It

Planting a memorial garden or plant is probably the easiest way to preserve your loved one’s memory. Not only it is an exciting way to honor them but also acts as a therapeutic for you.

A plant can reflect human life and watering it regularly and seeing it grow may rejuvenate the memory of your loved one and expedite the healing process, not to mention the benefits it brings to the environment.

You may even have the option of creating a whole community garden and further customizing it by choosing flowers, scents, and colors matching your loved one’s personality.

Get Involved With and Complete their Favorite Cause

If there’s anything charitable or community service project that your lost loved one wanted to complete but couldn’t, then it’s time to commit yourself to the cause. After all, what’s a better way to pay tribute to the departed soul than having to serve humanity.

From volunteering on weekends at a soup kitchen or for helping animals at the local shelter to paying regular charity to your loved one’s favorite organization, you can carry on the good work they started in life and honor their memory.

It may not necessarily be charity work and can be researching something important to them, solving a mystery, sending flowers, traveling to a specific place, etc. Respectively, you can plan ahead for this and ask advice in the funeral industry for a question such as grief resources.

Turning Ashes into Jewelry

People who cremate their loved ones have a myriad of options to get creative with the deceased’s ashes. You can turn the cremated remains into fine pieces of memorial jewelry either to decorate in your bedroom or wear them.

You can have them transformed into a ring, necklace, chain, or bracelet and always feel them close to your heart whenever the memento is worn.

Arrange a Dinner Party on Their Birthday

Arranging a dinner party on your loved one’s birthday or any other special day like an anniversary helps you relive the happy moments spent with them. Buy a birthday dessert or cook the deceased’s favorite food, play their favorite songs, invite your friends and family and let all celebrate the wonderful life your love was done has spent.

You may request each attendee to share his or her fond memories with the departed soul and how they have impacted lives for the better.

Get a Memorial Tattoo

If you’re a fan of body tattoos, then look for an artist and get a tattoo of your loved one’s birth date, anniversary, or date of death. Many people choose to get a tattoo of the deceased’s favorite flower or symbol.

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And, if you’re loved one is cremated, you can have incorporated their ashes into the ink of your tattoo after cremation services Willoughby Hills, OH.

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How to Plan an Unexpected Funeral

Nothing gives you more pain and stress than the news of a sudden death of a loved one and the need to look for funeral homes Willoughby Hills, OH. You may find yourself facing a rollercoaster of overwhelming emotions and what’s more, you’re the one in charge of the funeral arrangements.

Making funeral arrangements while coping with the grief of the sudden demise of a beloved is difficult – especially if you don’t know where to begin. This article provides a comprehensive guideline to help you steer through this journey one step at a time.

Whom to Notify

Your first course of action would be to notify the relevant authorities about the death of a loved one. Now, the order of events depends on where the death occurred.

  • If they died at home or in the workplace, you need to call for a medical emergency. The attending doctor or a medical examiner will examine the body and pronounce the death officially.
  • If the person died at a hospital or hospice care, a doctor or a physician will apprise you of the death and ask you to fill the required paperwork certifying the time and cause of the death.
  • But if the person died due to unnatural causes, then you need to call 911 or a relevant law enforcement officer before moving the body of the deceased.

After registering the death of the loved one with a relevant department, you need to start shopping for a funeral director. Decide whether you want to bury the body or cremate it and tailor your search accordingly.

Spending enough time to find a perfect funeral director would save you from many troubles down the road and also makes sure all funeral arrangements go as smoothly as planned.

Most hospitals and nursing homes expect you to remove the body as soon as possible, so ask your funeral director to transport the body and complete the death certificate. The funeral director will also take care of all the necessary paperwork as per your State’s requirements.

Notify the Friends and Family

Next, you need to write an obituary, which is a death notice containing the deceased’s name, their brief biography, names of the surviving family members, and the time and location of the funeral service.

An obituary is necessary to communicate the news to people outside your direct contact or closest relationships. This obituary will be printed in a local newspaper and lately, many families publish it online as well. Any requests for donations or charities may also be included in the obituary.

You may have to inform the closest friends and family in person about the loss.

Plan the Final Disposition Services

If the deceased had a will discussing funeral arrangements, then plan all services accordingly. Else, take the input immediate family and funeral director and plan to give the best end-of-life tribute to your loved one – the one they deserved.

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A good funeral director will provide you several options, like catering, music, floral arrangements, etc. to help you better customize and personalize the funeral as per your wishes.

You need to make several decisions like where you wish the deceased to be buried, the type of marker or monument you need, the type of casket, and so on. Working with cooperative and professional funeral homes Willoughby Hills, OH, will ease this for you.