The Family Plot Blog
How to Decompose Naturally and Other News
Is minimizing your post-mortem carbon footprint a concern for you? Mark your calendar for February 17, to attend "Green Burial Options in New Mexico," my talk at the Rio Grande Nature Center State Park. There's more info below, along with a blog post about tips to make pet loss more bearable and eco-friendly. February 14, there's "Do This For The People You Love," a talk on downsizing and organizing for end-of-life issues. Scroll down for more...
The Funny Obituary for Terry Ward That Went Viral
When a well-written obituary goes viral, it confirms that our life stories are worthy of sharing. Terry Ward's obituary, written by his daughter Jean Lahm, will have you laughing and wishing you knew the man. She works at Geisen Funeral Home, and knew the obituary had to match her dad's personality. Here's what appeared on the Geisen Funeral Homes' website: Terry Wayne Ward, age 71, of DeMotte, IN, escaped this mortal realm on Tuesday, January...
Feb. 24: ABQ Death Cafe
The next Albuquerque Death Cafe will be held Saturday, February 24, 2018, 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. This event will take place in the Community Room at Manzano Del Sol Village, 5201 Roma NE, Albuquerque. It is located just south of Lomas Blvd. and just west of San Mateo Blvd. Refreshments will be provided. The event is free and donations are welcome. Send a note to Gail [at] AGoodGoodbye.com to RSVP. As an alternative, join the Albuquerque Death...
A Week’s Worth of Interesting Death News
Over the past week, I've seen some interesting news stories and opinion pieces on death, cleaning up after "lonely" deaths in Japan, what cremated remains mean to us, clutter clearing, dementia-specific advance directives, and a TED talk video on the importance of talking about your death while you are still healthy. Click on the headlines to read each story. Death: The Greatest Teacher Lion's Roar January 12, 2018 by Judy Leif -- The Buddha...
Five Tips About Eco-Friendly Pet Cremation You Need to Know NOW
There’s never a convenient time for a pet to die. But according Phillip Vallelunga from Adoring Pet Funeral Home & Cremation Services in Fraser, Michigan, pet owners can take these key steps to ease the pain of saying goodbye to a beloved dog, cat or other companion animal. 1. Pets are part of the family. Just like our human relatives, pets deserve a dignified and personalized memorial service. This recognition can help process the intense...
Feb. 17: Green Burial Options in New Mexico
In New Mexico's high desert climate, “green” burial is actually “brown” burial. However, you have many options to minimize your after-death carbon footprint. Make your final disposition more eco-friendly by avoiding embalming, rethinking cremation, choosing biodegradable caskets and urns, and even considering holding a home/DIY funeral. Come learn about your options for returning to the earth as naturally as possible in the Land of...
Review: Caitlin Doughty’s New Book ‘From Here to Eternity’
Caitlin Doughty is a woman on a mission to redefine death. Most of the established funeral industry can't stand her, and in her newest book, From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find The Good Death, you sense the feeling is mutual. Yet, when it comes to discussing death and funerals, she is making an impact. Doughty has made remarkable strides over the past few years to get people, especially younger people, to discuss mortality...
News and Videos on Life and Death
These past two weeks we've had news stories about celebrity deaths, funeral business developments, and a nuclear annihilation false alarm. Could the zeitgeist be shifting to discussing death honestly? Links to these and other news stories follow. There's an Albuquerque Death Cafe at my house this Saturday, January 20 at 3:00 p.m. Please email Gail[at]AGoodGoodbye.com if you'd like to attend and I'll send you directions. It's going to be a big...
These Books on End-Of-Life Issues Are Enlightening
As The Doyenne of Death®, books about end-of-life, estate and funeral planning, and related topics are must-reads. A number of excellent titles were published in 2017. Here are short reviews of seven books that can help you face the inevitable. Click on each book title to get it from Amazon. Dealing with Doctors, Denial, and Death: A Guide to Living Well with Serious Illness by Aroop Mangalik, MD (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers) Dr. Aroop...
Holograms Let You Speak From The Great Beyond
Holographic messages from loved ones who have died are no longer the "what if" stuff of Star Wars. Artistry In Motion Holographics (AIM) recently introduced a new service to the funeral industry: life-sized 3D moving images of pre-recorded messages from the yet-to-be deceased. In this video below, AIM CEO Carl Minado looks like Col. Sanders, but it was October 31 at the 2017 National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) convention, so he...
It’s a New Year: Live For Today
Welcome to 2018. In 2017, we saw the deaths of many beloved musicians, celebrities, and notable people. Their passings remind us to make the most of every day, to live for today, as tomorrow is not promised. It also reminds us to make our end-of-life plans while we can. Not because we're planning to die, but because we are fully alive. As Mark Twain said, "The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die...
Jan. 20: Albuquerque Death Cafe
As the New Year gets going, think about experiencing a Death Cafe as one of your bucket list items. It's an opportunity to relax over some coffee or tea, some cake or cookies, and join in a group discussion to talk about what’s on your mind about mortality issues. Participants always give the event high marks! The next Albuquerque Death Cafe will take place on Saturday, January 20, 2018, 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Gail Rubin's home. If you...
LoveUrns Offers New Cremation Urns and Jewelry
Coffee and cremated remains, urns and cremation jewelry... Among my favorite exhibitors to visit at funeral trade shows are the friendly Khan family, proprietors of LoveUrns®. The fact that they usually have an espresso bar offering free caffeinated delights in their booth always scores big points. LoveUrns® is known for their creative, beautifully-designed solid brass urns. At the 2017 National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) convention,...
Celebrating Christmas with Luminaria and End-of-Life Discussions
On this Christmas Eve here in New Mexico, families are lining the sidewalks in their neighborhoods with luminarias, simple paper bags with sand in the bottom and one votive candle. It's a beautiful Christmas tradition, designed to direct the Christ child to the family's home. You may enjoy this Mortality Minute video I did about this tradition of visiting cemeteries on Christmas Eve: https://youtu.be/p0wRZA-J7AY And while you are gathering with...
How to Personalize a Life Celebration
Funerals are becoming "Celebrations of Life." What does that look like? You'd be amazed what can be created within 24 hours to personalize memorial services and put some "fun" in funerals. At the 2017 National Funeral Directors Association convention and expo, Life Celebration, Inc., "Creating color and light in times of darkness," set up a building within the expo hall. The "Reed-Soxman Funeral Home" showcased a wide array of memorial products...
Mexicans Celebrate Their Dead – Why Can’t Americans?
The colorful Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) traditions from Mexico honor their dead in ways Americans would do well to embrace. In a New York Times opinion column, Ilan Stavans wrote about 'Coco' and Mexico's Infatuation With the Afterlife. A few highlights of his thoughts on the topic: For Mexicans, death is earthly. We build altars in our homes with framed photos of the departed next to candles, fruit, bread and candy. This intimacy...
Handful of Home Irish Dirt for Meaningful Burials
Millions of Irish Americans identify with their roots in the Emerald Isle. Now two ladies from Dublin have brought Handful of Home, Original Irish Dirt, to America. For those who claim Irish ancestry, Handful of Home offers the opportunity for burial in contact with earth from their land of origin. "What we wanted to do is help Irish Americans celebrate their cultural heritage at some of the most important moments of their lives," explained...
What Makes This Cremation Retort So Energy Efficient?
A new retort introduced to the industry at the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) convention and expo may have the answer in the quest to reduce CO2 emissions generated by cremation. The Facultatieve Technologies FT USA v2 cremation retort uses the body as fuel, to minimize the burning of natural gas in the process of cremation. Ernie Kassoff, National Sales Manager for Facultatieve Technologies, explains the process: "To get correct...
Introducing The Bonsai Urn: Growing Life from Loving Memories
The Bonsai Urn promises "Growing Life from Loving Memories." How? You can give the cremated remains of your loved ones a beautiful, portable resting place combined with an elegant potted plant. The ingenious patent pending design of the Bonsai Urn features an insert for a four-inch pot containing any kind of bonsai plant. Soil and cremated remains are mixed in a center ring, into which the roots can grow over time. The rest of the remains go...
Beloved: Custom Personalized Obituaries and Eulogies
Petra Orloff, a professional writer for more than 25 years, turned her professional skills toward obituary and eulogy writing after her father died in 2004. This year, she founded Beloved, providing the services of professional writers to create custom obituaries and eulogies that become keepsakes treasured by the family over time. Beloved was a first-time exhibitor at the 2017 National Funeral Directors Association convention and expo in...
Nov. 27: You Can Do That – New Trends in Death Care
“We Can Do That? New Trends in Death Care” is the title of the next talk Gail Rubin presents at Albuquerque Oasis on Monday, November 27, 10:30 a.m. to noon. The class will take place at the Oasis offices in American Square Shopping Center, 3301 Menaul Blvd. NE, Suite 18 (on the east side of the shopping center facing American Home Furnishings). Description: The modern funeral is changing. Learn about new death care trends in New Mexico,...