Do you know when you are going to die?
Of course not. Hopefully, decades will pass before you will face your Maker. You will work, raise children, enjoy your marriage, travel and simply love life.
But then, inevitably, someone you love will die. And one day, that someone will be you.
Are you ready for it?
I'm Not Dead Yet is the blog for those who plan to die. This may sound morbid but when we pre-arrange our funerals, purchase cemetery spaces in advance, or even reserve our shelf in the mausoleum, we give our families the greatest gift possible on what will be the worst day of their lives: the gift of love. They will be grateful, knowing that you have spared them the emotional and financial pain of arranging your final affairs.
In the future, postings will detail the benefits of pre-planning. Also, I will write about the process of death and dying, as well as trends within the funeral industry. I will post regularly so check back often for new information.
Please feel free to comment upon what I write - and comment on what others write as well. The only requirement is civility. I will read every posting prior to its publication; if it is nasty, I will delete it.
So enjoy the blog and let me know how I can make it even better. Happy reading and, as the Pythons would say:
Always walk on the bright side of life.
Jordan Parr
Pre-Arranged Funerals Supervisor
Digniry Memorial
Dallas, TX
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I would first like to commend you for bringing this "Pink Elephant" out in the open. We are all going to meet our maker at some point. I wanted to add to your comments from the Funeral Director side. I meet with families each day and help plan a funeral that is meaningful for them and respectful to their loved one who passed. The toughest part of the arangement conference is chosing the funeral merchandise. Th one comment I hear from every family is "what would he/she have wanted?" This is the moment that I value the benefit of pre-arranging. Families that come into my office at the time of need and are lucky enough that their loved one pre-arranged are allowed to grieve and not worry about the decision side of this industry. So I very much agree with you that pre-arranging is best. In my 15 years of experience the most important part of pre-planning is selecting and paying for the cemetery property, I say this because that is the one cost that is increasing at huge rates each year. This has nothing to do with greed by the funeral industry. It is because as cremation grows at alarming rates the funeral homes adjust, but the cemetery can't adjust, they can only charge more to those families not cremating. So, Rabbi Parr, I applaud you on educating everyone on a topic people would rather ignore. I look forward to your future blogs.
ReplyDeleteI love your sense of humor - the title is great. So nice to have just a little fun with serious topics. Good luck on the blog. Mom
ReplyDeleteThe Funeral Director is right on target. Having counseled countless people at the time of death, I know how difficult this process is. When the Director pulls out the papers and says, "Your father took care of all his arrangements years ago", the family always shows such gratitude and love towards dad. That's why I believe so strongly in pre-planning; it is an expression of love. It's the last and greatest gift that we can give.
ReplyDeleteAs for cemetery costs, we'll talk more about that later. But for now, realize that prices are doubling about every 10 years. So buy now; there is a limited amount of real estate available and as it is sold, the remaining spaces will cost more. It's simple economics: limited supply + increased demand = rising prices.