The Family Plot Blog
![[Video] A Good Goodbye TV on Life Celebrations](https://i0.wp.com/agoodgoodbye.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/AGGTVSq.jpg?resize=368%2C250&ssl=1)
[Video] A Good Goodbye TV on Life Celebrations
The fourth episode of A Good Goodbye TV, now available on The Family Plot Channel on YouTube, focuses on the life cycle event formerly known as a funeral or memorial service, now known as celebrations of life or life celebrations. The guests interviewed are Paul Layer with FRENCH Funerals & Cremations, and Samara Rivett, Certified Celebrant. The discussion includes topics such as: The steps a family takes to say goodbye to a loved one How...
Cryonics: The Cold Facts
If you're in Nederland, Colorado during during Frozen Dead Guy Days festival March 11-13, stop by the Black Forest Restaurant to learn the strange but true story of how Bredo Morstoel from Norway came to be the celebrated Frozen Dead Guy of Nederland. When you watch the documentary “Grandpa’s in the TUFF SHED,” you'll get all the freezing fun facts about this cryonic misadventure. The 25-minute film will be shown continuously from 11:00 a.m. to...
Discussing Afterlife Questions with The Death Chicks
The latest Death Chicks online video series on The Big Questions featured a stellar panel discussion of what, if anything, happens after death. "What Happens When We Die??? A Conversation about the Afterlife" covered Near Death Experiences, the Kabbalah, the way many atheists react at end-of-life, Christian concepts of heaven and hell, and the idea of an existence beyond the physical realm. Joining Myste Lynn and Patty Burgess, the hosts of The...
![[Video] Green Burial and Eco-Friendly Funerals](https://i0.wp.com/agoodgoodbye.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/darren-crouch-on-agg.jpg?resize=400%2C250&ssl=1)
[Video] Green Burial and Eco-Friendly Funerals
The fourth episode of A Good Goodbye TV, now available on The Family Plot Channel on YouTube, focuses on green burial and eco-friendly funerals. Darren Crouch, president of Passages International and a director of the Green Burial Council's education program, is the guest expert interviewed on this program. Passages International is a leading provider of environmentally-friendly and green funeral products. While most people associate green only...
News & Notes: Frozen Dead Guy Days Fun!
Every year, the Frozen Dead Guy Days (FDGD) festival in Nederland, Colorado celebrates the on-ice existence of a real frozen dead guy from Norway. Yes, it's weird - and more than 10,000 people converge on this small mountain town west of Boulder to party and laugh in the face of death. The festivities include a parade of hearses, costumed coffin races and polar plunges, frozen turkey bowling and salmon tossing, lots of music and alcohol, and...
Speaking with Stephen Jenkinson, Author of Die Wise
What does it take to "Die Wise"? How can we start the conversation in our death-avoidant culture? Stephen Jenkinson, the author of Die Wise: A Manifesto for Sanity and Soul, has a lot to say on the topic. He joined me for a special extended conversation on A Good Goodbye Radio in advance of his appearances in Albuquerque and Santa Fe coming up March 17, 18, 19 and 20. In this 33-minute interview, we discuss the death avoidance prevalent in the...
Feb. 24: Afterlife Conversation with The Death Chicks
Do not be fooled by the the title, "Afterlife Conversation with The Death Chicks"! Gail Rubin, CT, still alive and kicking. Gail will participate in the live Google Hangout Show, "What Happens When We Die??? A Conversation about the Afterlife," this Wednesday, February 24 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time/noon Pacific Time. Click this link to tune in live online. The Death Chicks, Myste Lynn and Patty Burgess, are death educators who bring a light...
What Does “It’s All Taken Care Of” Really Mean?
When parents tell their adult children, “It’s all taken care of,” regarding their end-of-life arrangements, what do they mean? Assuming they’ve worked with a competent estate planning attorney, they’ll have a will, perhaps a trust, and advance medical directives in place, with health care and financial power of attorney designees and back-up designees. These elements, while vital, still fall short of taking care of everything. Consider these...
March 10: Funny Films for Funeral Planning
In honor of the Frozen Dead Guy Days festival in nearby Nederland, Colorado, Carroll-Lewellen Funeral & Cremation Services in Longmont and the Foothills Gardens of Memory are hosting Laughing in the Face of Death: Funny Films for Funeral Planning. This free upbeat talk in the funeral home’s chapel features popcorn, beverages, door prizes, and clips from comedy films and television programs. It’s what you need to know before you go! The...
![[Video] A Good Goodbye TV on Cemetery Questions](https://i0.wp.com/agoodgoodbye.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/DVD-Cover.jpg?resize=365%2C250&ssl=1)
[Video] A Good Goodbye TV on Cemetery Questions
Your questions about cemeteries are answered on the third episode of A Good Goodbye TV, now available on YouTube. This 26-minute interview features Chris Keller and Vaughn Hendren, both with FRENCH Funerals and Cremations and Sunset Memorial Park. Among the topics discussed: What you need to know about cemetery trends; Breaking down the costs of a funeral home’s services and the cemetery’s costs; Explaining QR codes and how are they used in...
![[Video] Jewish Tahara Mortality Minute](https://i0.wp.com/agoodgoodbye.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Old-Pool.jpg?resize=400%2C250&ssl=1)
[Video] Jewish Tahara Mortality Minute
This Mortality Minute video created for Waldman Funeral Care in Houston, Texas explains the Jewish ritual called tahara. It highlights the traditional washing and dressing of the dead, in preparation for burial. Mortality Minute audio spots are available for businesses to air on their local radio stations, raising visibility and generating more customers. Customized video versions can also be created for online use. Have a business that could...
March 10 Laughing and Learning Workshop
Folks in the Denver metro area, mark your calendars to attend Laughing and Learning: A Practical End-of-Life Workshop. This upbeat three-hour workshop will give you the tools and the inspiration to take practical steps for outlining your funeral plans/memorial celebration, drafting your own obituary and/or famous last words, and preparing advance medical directives. Presenter Gail Rubin, CT, is a death educator who uses funny film clips to...
Tips to Approach Decluttering and Downsizing
No doubt about it, it's a challenge to undertake downsizing and decluttering. Here are eight tips to help approach the daunting task of minimizing your stuff. Give Yourself Time to Downsize It takes decades to amass a significant amount of stuff. Don’t expect to get rid of it all in one weekend. When my parents were downsizing from their home of 33 years to a three-bedroom condominium, it took months of work – including three yard sales and...
TED Radio Hour on Rethinking Death
Among the many great TED Talks online, there is a playlist devoted to New Ways to Think About Death. Several of those talks were featured over the weekend on NPR's most recent episode of The TED Radio Hour, titled, "Rethinking Death." The talks included interviews with artist Candy Chang, who created a public art project in New Orleans related to her talk "Before I die I want to...," Amanda Bennett, who spoke on "We need a heroic narrative for...
Home Funerals Without the Funeral Home
In the Business Section of today's New York Times, there's a big article about the small but growing movement to return funerals to the care of family members. "Start-Ups Take Rites From the Funeral Home to the Family Home" looks at the particulars of helping families care for their own dead until disposition by burial or cremation. Not only can home funerals make the events after a family death more meaningful and emotionally-satisfying for...
[Video] A Good Goodbye TV on Cremation
Your cremation questions are answered on the second episode of A Good Goodbye TV, now available on YouTube. This 26-minute interview features Tom Antram, the president and CEO of FRENCH Funerals and Cremations, and Buck Dyck, a funeral director and funeral home location manager. Among the topics discussed: Why cremation has skyrocketed in popularity. What cremation actually entails. The funeral home's process leading up to cremation, so...
Obituary for Sara Haynes McGee
Sara H. McGee passed away peacefully in her sleep at the age of 78, while visiting her son Michael White McGee in Denver, Colorado, over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, 2015. During the course of her life, Sara lived in many places and played many roles: Artist, Psychotherapist, Traveler, and avid Genealogist. Art: Sara’s passion for art developed early. She painted, managed art galleries, collected art, and eventually became an art...
Ack! The Musicians You Grew Up With Are Dying
A great meme appeared on my Facebook feed recently. It read, "DEAR BANDS I GREW UP WITH: PLEASE STOP DYING. THANKS." With the passing of David Bowie and Glenn Frey of the Eagles, if you're a Baby Boomer, chances are these deaths hit close to home. David Bowie actually provided a great example of planning for end-of-life, by embracing hospice care at home and prophetically scheduling his last album Blackstar to be released on his 69th birthday,...
![[Video] Mortality Minute on Jews, Tattoos and Suicide](https://i0.wp.com/agoodgoodbye.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/old-wives-tale3.jpg?resize=400%2C250&ssl=1)
[Video] Mortality Minute on Jews, Tattoos and Suicide
This Mortality Minute video created for Waldman Funeral Care in Houston, Texas clears up some misconceptions about whether Jews who have tattoos or who committed suicide can be buried in a Jewish cemetery. The video debunks an old wives tale, also known as a bubbe meise. A transcript of the information follows the video. Mortality Minute audio spots are available for businesses to sponsor for airing on their local radio stations. Customized...
Diana – An Excerpt from A Non-Swimmer Considers Her Mikvah
Mary Carter, author of A Non-Swimmer Considers Her Mikvah: On Becoming Jewish After Fifty, wrote about the shock of learning about a death from an unexpected part of her personal history. This essay from the book provides a thoughtful look at feelings of guilt and grief. (Note: Woven throughout these Coyote Diana essays, and appearing in italics, are lines from the Al Chet, which is the confession of sins recited ten times in the course of Yom...
Feb. 19 ABQ Death Cafe
The next Albuquerque Death Cafe will take place on Friday, February 19 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. at French Funerals and Cremations, 7121 Wyoming Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM. Please note the different place and time from the last Death Cafe. Funeral director and location manager Buck Dyck will take participants on a tour of the facility and be available to answer questions. The funeral home is located on the west side of Wyoming, just north of the...