Blog- How To's

If you are reading this, you might have gotten the call-a call that almost everyone gets someday but no one wants-a call that informs you that your friend is no longer with you. And while you are dealing with the grief and processing the loss, the family members ask you to give a eulogy. It is a difficult process that requires you to use your grief to write the perfect goodbye for your friend. If you are in a similar situation and have to write a eulogy from a friend, here are a few tips that will make it slightly easier:

•  Understand what a eulogy is

The first step is to understand that a eulogy is not an obituary. It is lengthy, personal, and conversational. It is often associated with posthumous honor and grief. You are giving the speech to give a tribute to your friend. It should be a celebratory homage that includes proud moments and highlights happy memories.

• Remember the memories

You already know everything that you need to write the eulogy. All you have to do is recall them. Some of those memories will make you cry, while others will make you happy. Select the ones that are closest to your heart. You can even reach out to other friends and talk to family members to get more inspiration.

• Organize the information and start writing

Create a basic outline including introduction, body, and conclusion. Don’t try to make it perfect. Write from your heart while thinking of your friend. Don’t focus too much on the facts. Instead, tell stories that capture your friend’s best qualities.

• Keep it simple, honest, positive, and memorable

Remember that you shouldn’t point out the negative traits of your friend. A eulogy should always be positive. Keep it brief, specific, and thoughtful. You can add a bit of humor, but ensure that it is classy and appropriate for the moment.

Once you have written the eulogy, you should read it out loud and rehearse it a couple of times to ensure that you don’t get overwhelmed. Lastly, pat yourself on the back for writing an emotionally-demanding eulogy for your friend who meant so much to you.

Thanks for reading,

Karen

Memorial videos are thoughtful ways to pay tribute to loved ones who have passed on. A memorial video can be meaningful in saying "farewell" to those you love. It’s a video that pays a fond tribute to a special person and illustrates the life of the person, as well as honors the person's memory. Its a perfect way to let people see another side of a person, through the stories the video tells. Importantly, creating a tribute video can be therapeutic in the process of grieving.

The Use of the Video

Primarily, think about how the video will be shared. How the memorial is going to be viewed decides the length of the video and its style. If you are sharing the video during a service, think of the following aspects:

• Photographs and songs (some the person preferred) should be included
• Approximately 80 photographs may be used
• The video length should be around 6-10 minutes

In case your plan is to share the memorial video in the midst of the reception, have a longer video of about 15 minutes without music. It can play in a loop in the background, letting people view it in passing. You can include more photos too.

Choosing the Photographs

While selecting photographs for the bulk of your video, choose ones representing the person, as well as honoring them. Think of these aspects for your tribute:

• Portray the person's interests, hobbies, etc.
• Show the person's personality.
• Illustrate the person's childhood - this will be a new side to the person for viewers.
• Highlight special moments in a person's life, like holidays, births, weddings, birthdays, etc.

Selecting the Tools

Typically, memorial videos are slideshows since they include still photography. If you are creating a memorial video on a Mac, you can easily use iMovie, as this lets you produce your own transitions, titles and effects. Additionally, you can add your own audio clips and songs. Alternatively, create a video using Photos on any other Apple device, even a smartphone. If you're a user of a PC, you can use "Animoto". This is a user-friendly portal that has templates of animations with various backgrounds and effects. Show your photos as a transition from one to the next, possibly in chronological order, keeping each photo lingering for about 2 seconds. Selecting two songs, each of a 3-4-minute duration, works well for the music.

Thanks for reading,

Karen

A basic custom of funeral etiquette is sending acknowledgment cards following funerals. Sending thank-you cards with personal messages to the ones who supported you and offered their condolences is a beautiful gesture. You will be surprised to know how much this basic gesture of offering your gratitude will mean. You can either compile a list of only those who sent you flowers, cards, memorials, or donations, or send them to all your guests.

Add a personal touch

Adding personal touches to the thank-you card will send a sign of thoughtfulness. It can be anything from a personal handwritten message to a thoughtful verse from your favorite poem. If you are not too much into words, you can choose to put in an image along with a sweet and short caption symbolizing your gratitude.

The passing away of a loved one can be difficult. You might not find it particularly engaging to write messages on blank cards. You will find a range of solutions that can help you create customized cards very easily on the internet from which you can choose with a range of templates. In a few simple steps, you can get your customized cards ready.

Thanks for reading,

Karen

What to wear to a funeral can be a tough thing to decide. You wouldn’t want to dress inappropriately and hurt the sentiments of the grieving family. Plus, if you have lost someone close to you or an immediate family member, dressing appropriately for the funeral becomes all the more important. Here are some good funeral attire ideas for 2021.

Formal and decent black outfit

If you don’t wish to stand out of the crowd and only want to pay your respects at the funeral, we recommend dressing up in a formal and decent manner. Men can pick a simple black suit, white shirt and a black tie to wear for the funeral. Women can pick a decent black dress that is not too form-hugging or frilly. If the funeral is in winter, add layers of grey or black-colored coats to keep warm. If the funeral is in summer, go for airy fabrics that wouldn’t make you sweat.

Easy trousers for women

Women wouldn’t always be comfortable in a dress. If you are looking for an alternative, we recommend wearing a trouser in grey, beige or black color along with a black blouse. Wear medium-sized heels along with this outfit or you could even choose to wear flats. If the funeral is in winter, you can swap the black blouse with a black turtleneck and add simple gold earrings to complete your outfit.

Outfits that are not black

Funerals can be a tough place to be at and wearing all-black can be very overwhelming for some people. However, you can choose to wear other colors that are decent and appropriate for a funeral. These colors include dark blue, dark grey, light grey, dark brown or other neutral earthy shades. The idea is to not stand out of the funeral and still be appropriately dressed in a way that doesn’t offend anyone.

Thanks for reading,

Karen

Outer burial containers consist of grave liners and burial vaults. These serve to enclose the casket or coffin in a grave. When caskets are buried under the ground, some cemeteries require a burial vault or a grave liner surrounding the casket. An outer burial container suffices to support the soil that is around the casket. This firm support is required to prevent the soil on top of the casket and around it from collapsing. Significantly, this ultimately serves to enhance maintenance in cemeteries, keeping cemetery grounds in great condition.

Important features

Burial vaults are caskets for the main caskets. They encase the main casket completely, from all sides. A grave liner merely acts as a cover for the top and sides of the casket. The bottom of the main casket is in direct contact with the ground. Both burial vaults and grave liners are typically made of concrete and lined with a layer of plastic or metal. Some are available, nowadays, in steel, copper, and bronze. These metal ones are sturdier but may cost more as they assure durability more than concrete does. Concrete may be prone to cracks over a period of time.

Some considerations

Your choice, a grave liner or a burial vault, totally depends on you as an individual or your family that decides on such matters. If cost is a consideration in selecting an outer burial container, then a grave liner will be ideal. Usually, these can be purchased as separate from the main casket (which depends on your selection again) from the funeral home that you are associated with. You may have a limited choice as some funeral homes carry only one or two models.

You may buy these as part of your main casket expense if your main casket manufacturer sells these. Retailers also sell grave liners and burial vaults. If you buy these online, they may incur high shipping costs, as they are heavy and have to be handled with care.

Thanks for reading,

Karen