Do you just want to be cremated, is it because you don’t want to cause a fuss?

Cremation is a versatile option because it provides ample time for the family to gather, it allows for easy transportation of the remains, and it makes for a simple means of disposition.  The notion that there shouldn’t be any “fuss” is simply a misunderstanding of the reason we have funeral and memorial services in the first place. We want to-indeed, we need to-make a “fuss” when we lose someone we love.

There are three essential elements to a healing and healthy funeral experience…

1. A Public Gathering

A gathering allows family and friends to give and receive love, comfort, and support to one another. Opening this event to public multiplies its effectiveness. A public gathering helps the family mark an important occasion and transportation from life before the death to life after death.

2. A service with religious or spiritual overtones:

A ceremony helps us honor the person who has died and understand the reality of the person’s death. Adding the appropriate religious or spiritual elements offers hope to the grieving family and aids us in our search for meaning.

3. A procession to the final resting place:

A procession is a strong symbol of unity, support, and acknowledgement that something important has occurred. A place of final rest for the cremated body helps provide a point of closure, an understanding of the finality of death, and place to go in the future to search for further meaning.

As we plan ahead, we need to consider the needs of our family as well as our own preferences and desires… Here are some considerations to think about when choosing cremation…

• Cremation may be carried out before the memorial service or afterwards
  
• The body may be dressed and present in a ceremonial casket to allow friends and family time to say their final goodbyes. This can be especially significant if the death was sudden and unexpected. Sometimes we have to see with our own eyes to really begin to get over the shock of a death.
  
• The service may be simple, informal gathering of close family or a public honoring of the deceased.
  
• If the memorial service is held after the cremation takes place, it is important to have the urn present. The urn is not merely a container for the cremated body; it is a memorial of the deceased and a focal point for the service.
  
• The cremated body may be kept at a home in a memorial urn, scattered in a special place, buried in a cemetery, or placed in a niche at a columbarium. A portion may be placed in cremation jewelry as a constant reminder of the lost loved one.
  
• Cremation offers a new tradition in funeral service. Cremation is widely accepted in most cultures now and offers endless opportunities with the sky as the limit. Have you ever thought about having a celebration of life? Below are ways that your family could use to celebrate your life.
  
• Ever thought about being in a fireworks show? Well that’s a possibility… Cremated remains can now be placed into firework casings and you can be a part of a fireworks display. Your family can have a gathering and memorialize your life, and at the end of the night have the fireworks display for your family to watch.
  
• Why not have a party, picnic or even a concert? If you like the outdoors and enjoy to picnic, your celebration of life could be based off of a picnic! Are you the party type or just social? Let’s have a party just the way you would like to have one to celebrate your life in the way you want people to remember you or how about just a social gathering in a unique and personalized way. Do you like music or Have favorite local band you follow? Let’s have the band come and play and have an outdoor concert based around you and the music you like.
  

Cremation offers endless opportunities for you to think about. At Gednetz-Ruzek and Brown Funeral Home we understand the changing funeral service profession and we are ready to do those out of the box services for the families we serve. Having those unique services offers more personalization and a better way to memorialize your loved one by making the service revolve around what they liked and enjoyed. Ask us about the endless opportunities available to you!