The Family Plot Blog
Remembering Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address
Today is the 150th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln's delivery of his brief speech dedicating the national cemetery for the soldiers who died at the Battle of Gettysburg. It is an elegant statement of eulogy and unity after that battle's terrible loss of life for both the Union and Confederate sides. These powerful words still resonate across time. Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation,...
Gail Rubin on Grief Talk with Audrey
Tune in online this Tuesday, November 19, 2013 at 3:00 p.m. ET / 1:00 p.m. MT to Grief Talk with Audrey on Blogtalk Radio. Gail Rubin, The Doyenne of Death®, will talk with host Audrey Pellicano R.N. Grief Recovery Specialist, about why people hesitate to discuss death and funeral planning. We'll talk about how a light touch on this serious subject can help get the conversation started. This includes funeral films (comedies that address some...
Comparing Conventional Burial and Green Burial
It’s been said that conventional burial utilizes enough metal to build a Golden Gate Bridge and enough concrete to build a two-lane highway from New York to Detroit, all going into the ground every single year. The figures from 2002 are staggering: conventional burial uses more than 827 thousand gallons of embalming fluid; over 1.6 million tons of reinforced concrete for vaults; more than 90 thousand tons of steel and 27 hundred tons of copper...
Discussing Facebook Grieving on PBS New Mexico In Focus
How many times have you pulled up your Facebook feed to see news from a friend or acquaintance about a loved one dying? Receiving the support of your online community at a time of loss is a growing trend. Tune in this Friday, November 15 at 7:00 p.m. MT to NEW MEXICO IN FOCUS for a discussion of how social media is changing the way we process grief and tragedy. Facebook and Twitter are becoming the new obituary page. Correspondent Gwyneth...
Religions and Funerals Talk
At yesterday's talk to a group of legal guardians about religion and culture regarding funerals, I spoke about Catholic, Greek Orthodox, other Christian denominations, Jewish, Muslim and Native American traditions. Here's a video of the 55 minute talk, along with many stories of "things to know before you go." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5D_i_xznzvI I have walked through the valley of the shadow of death, and I have feared no evil, for God...
NFDA: Merry Christmas From Heaven, Flagpoles and Digital Registries
Here are a few more innovative products showcased at the National Funeral Directors Association's (NFDA) annual convention and expo in Austin during October. Did you know such a wide variety of tools for this trade exists? Messenger Digital Registry Mike Kane with Messenger Stationery, the largest provider of funeral home stationery in North America, describes a new feature on their Expressions digital guest registry. This digital registry...
Baby Boomers: Dispose of Sex Toys Before You Die!
Here's a different kind of end-of-life question for baby boomers: How would you feel about your kids or grand-kids finding your sex toys after you die? How about old love letters or photos you'd rather not share on Facebook or Twitter (and certainly not Linked In!)? It's yet another example of the many threads of our lives that we often don't think about until it's too late to dispose of the evidence before we shuffle off this mortal coil. In...
Grieving With Gratitude
The loss of those we are closest to causes our emotions to go into overdrive. Feelings of sadness, despair and even anger are common during the grieving process. There are ways in which we can turn those emotions around and find ways to grieve with gratitude. From gathering mementos of your loved one to music and giving back to others, finding ways to express your gratitude for being a part of your loved one’s life can go a long way to easing...
Benjamin Franklin on Life, Death and Being Prepared
Benjamin Franklin was an amazing man of many talents, and a Freemason to boot! From a MasonicWorld.com website citation: Printer, author, editor, inventor, scientist, diplomat; founder of schools, postal systems, government; ambassador, wit, speaker; philosopher, politician and Freemason, he was not only the amazing intellect, the Voltaire of Colonial America, but one of the most complex and gifted men of all times. He was the Francis Bacon of...
How Will You Have The Talk of a Lifetime with Your Family?
As the holidays draw near, family get-togethers can provide the opportunity to talk with loved ones about the big events and small details of their lifetimes. Details about values and precious experiences can eventually comprise a great celebration of people’s lives when they do pass away The "Have The Talk of a Lifetime" campaign, launched this year by the Funeral and Memorial Information Council (FAMIC), helps families sit down and talk to...
Design for Death Competition at NFDA
The world's first competition to re-imagine deathcare, Design for Death, drew 1,300 entries from 96 countries in three categories: Eco/Green Deathcare, Wrappings of Mortality and Architecture. The design competition was sponsored by two Singapore-based organizations, the Lien Foundation and the ACM Foundation, and the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA). An international panel of judges selected the winners and winning entries in the...
Cool Hot Wheels at NFDA
There were lots of hearses on display at the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) convention and expo this year. The more traditional funeral director might go for the very proper and upscale Cadillac and Lincoln hearses and limos. The cutting edge funeral directors were looking at two very cool hot wheels from the Tombstone Motorcycle Hearse Company and Vaca Limousines from Mexico. The Tombstone Motorcycle Hearse Jack Feather and his...
Cremation Products and Services at NFDA
Here are some of the cremation products and services on display at the expo for the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), recently held in Austin, Texas. These YouTube videos highlight several exhibitors with unique offerings. Cremation Turtle Urn Here's a new biodegradable cremation urn in the shape of a turtle offers a graceful water disposition ceremony. Darren Crouch, president of Passages International, describes how this handmade...
Healthy Living After Loss Free Teleseminar
Grief recovery specialist Audrey Pellicano with Wise Widow shared some great insights about grief and healing on A Good Goodbye Radio in September. Click here to download the podcast. This Monday, November 4th at 7pm ET, she is presenting a free one–hour tele-class on Healthy Living After Loss. She just returned from presenting this information at a program in Toronto and has presented this information many times. Every time the audience...
“Time of Death” is Tough But True Reality TV
Tonight's Showtime program "Time of Death" takes an honest look at what death is really like. In a world where most TV programs show a surplus of vicarious fake deaths in police dramas, I dare you to watch the real thing. You might actually learn something about end-of-life, and facing fears about living and dying. Learn more about the program. Hank Stuever, TV critic for The Washington Post wrote: I rarely insist that anybody watch anything on...
Life and Death After Fifty: Stories from “The Time of Your Life”
Gray-haired baby boomers living their senior years with gusto have plenty of advice to share on getting the most out of what’s left of this lifetime. The problem is, who listens to them? The new book, The Time of Your Life - Everyone Has a Story (General Store Publishing House), gives emerging seniors a platform to share their words of wisdom. The stories, from 40 people aged from their early 50s to late 90s, provide a road map to life. Each...
Albuquerque Death Cafe Today!
Today's the day for the fifth Albuquerque Death Cafe! The event starts at 4:00 p.m. at Sheila's Sweets, 8600 Indian School Road NE, just east of Wyoming. A reporter from the Albuquerque Journal will be there to do a story. Yesterday, KASA-TV did an interview with Gail Rubin, The Doyenne of Death, about the Death Cafe, Create a Great Funeral Day, and tools to start funeral planning conversations. Visit the Death Cafe page at AGoodGoodbye.com to...
News and Notes: Halloween and Day of the Dead
This is the week for skulls and scary things as we approach Halloween on Thursday and the Day of the Dead celebrations on November 1 and 2. Before spirits can go a-haunting or our beloved departed can return to this world, someone has to die. Hence it is highly appropriate that Create a Great Funeral Day is this Wednesday, October 30. This year is the 14th anniversary of the holiday started by Stephanie West Allen, author of Creating Your Own...
Casket Trends from Traditional to Futuristic
At the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) annual convention and expo, there were plenty of caskets on display. They ran the gamut - from traditional units for burial to green cremation caskets to futuristic pods. At the traditional end of the scale, Batesville Casket Company had this carousel of caskets showing how one model can be modified to look feminine, masculine or gender neutral. While women make up 51% of the population, only...
Create a Great Funeral Day October 30
This October 30th is the 14th annual Create a Great Funeral Day. This “holiday” right before Halloween provides an upbeat excuse to start a conversation on a topic most families hesitate to discuss. The first Create a Great Funeral Day, started by attorney and mediator Stephanie West Allen, took place in 2000. She registered the day at Chase’s Calendar of Events in 1999. A few years earlier, she saw her husband struggling to pull together a...
Thomas Lynch on Cremation and Accessories
Thomas Lynch, an award-winning writer who also happens to be an undertaker who comes from a family of funeral directors, was one of the star speakers at the 2013 National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) annual convention and expo. He and Dr. Thomas Long, a theologian, co-wrote a book just introduced at the convention, The Good Funeral (Westminster John Knox Press). We spoke one-on-one in the press room at the convention. Lynch said, "Both...