The Family Plot Blog
Funeralwise.com Body Count Project!
If you love watching prime time TV shows on broadcast and cable, Funeralwise.com wants you for their "TV to Die For" project. Get paid to watch TV! Funeralwise.com, everything you need to know about funerals, is launching a TV dead body count study. You heard me right. They're going to count the dead bodies that appear on TV shows and then put out a list ranking TV shows by dead body count. We're not talking about reality shows, just dramas...
BookPleasures.com Review of A Good Goodbye
June Maffin is an Episcopal/Anglican priest who facilitates workshops/retreats on "healthy" dying and grieving, and other workshops/retreats. She has conducted hundreds of funerals, led countless Grief Support Groups, and counseled many, many people who have been grieving losses of some kind over the years. She's also a reviewer for BookPleasures.com, a major book reviewing website. She recently posted a review of A Good Goodbye: Funeral...
Pets and Old Age
There's a great blog post at today's New York Times blog, The New Old Age. The post is titled "The Pet Problem." (photo by Alyson Martin) Anne-Marie Schiro, right, with her mother, Anna Schiro, and Lou Lou. Anne-Marie Schiro, 76, was determined that what had happened to a friend’s pets would not happen to hers. Ms. Schiro’s friend, who died after a long illness, had made arrangements for a caregiver to take one of her cats. She assumed her son...
Indigent or Unclaimed Cremated Remains Funeral
http://youtu.be/Ox4P7T7DQfM A unique funeral for the burial of the cremated remains of 178 citizens of Bernalillo County took place yesterday. The cremains, some of which dated back decades, had been unclaimed and sat in small cardboard boxes on shelves at Riverside Funeral Home. Some of these people had no family, some were homeless, some had homes but no family, or their families couldn't afford the $485 fee to claim the cremated remains....
A Parable of Immortality/What is Dying?
In a recent conversation, a friend questioned if there is life after this lifetime. Religious traditions across the spectrum of East to West speak of the eternal soul. Personally, I do believe the spirit continues on, beyond this physical plane. Doug Manning, the founder of the Insight Institute who brought Certified Celebrant training to the United States, comes from a background as a Baptist minister. He told a story of having a conversation...
Thank You Chicago!
A shout-out to all the fine folks in Chicago who made last week's A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don't Plan to Die media tour a big hit. Many thanks to Larry Mandel at Piser Funeral Services, the most media-savvy funeral director I have ever met and a major mensch. Larry arranged talks at two Reform synagogues, Congregation Emanuel in Chicago and Congregation Beth Am in Buffalo Grove, IL. My thanks to those folks who hosted...
WGN-TV Interview
Yesterday's interview on WGN-TV Midday went well! While waiting to go on the air, my gracious host Larry Mandel, funeral director at Piser Funeral Services, took me around. He worked at WGN early in his career. Did you know the Bozo the Clown show originated here? Tonight we're expecting over 100 people to attend my "Funny Films for Serious Funeral Planning Conversations" talk at Piser Funeral Services, 9200 Skokie Blvd., Skokie, IL. The...
Chicago, Chicago!
So excited to be heading out to Chicago for a TV interview and FOUR speaking engagements on funeral planning issues! Chicago Book Tour! Tuesday, January 24: Jewish Funeral Traditions Talk in Chicago 7:30 p.m. until 9 p.m. Emanuel Congregation with Congregation Or Chadash, Chicago Jewish Day School, 5959 N. Sheridan Road, Chicago PH: 773-561-5173 – Sponsored by Piser Funeral Services Wednesday, January 25: Gail is interviewed on WGN-TV Midday...
Funeral Planning Talk
"Everything You Wanted to Know About Funerals ** But Were Afraid to Ask" was the title of this talk to the University of New Mexico Retirees Association. I covered topics such as: Why most people avoid talking about funeral planning What it's like to talk with a funeral director when there's no death imminent Why the cremation rate in the U.S. has skyrocketed over the past five years How to "green" your final arrangements What funerals cost...
Remembering Robert Burkhardt
It's hard to believe it's been a year since Your Funeral Guy, R. Brian Burkhardt, died of a heart attack on January 19, 2011. The last post on his very popular Your Funeral Guy blog was January 17, 2011. I didn't find out about his death until a few months after the fact. He was such an active blogger, to see that he hadn't posted in two months was a sign of concern. I left a message on his cell phone, but didn't get a return call until months...
New Traditions: A Secular Shiva
Yesterday's New York Times had a "This Life" column in the Sunday Styles section by Bruce Feiler titled Mourning in a Digital Age. It explored how old traditions for mourning and grieving are impacted by our busy modern age, Facebook and email and how new traditions could be formed. Of special interest is how he suggests a secular use of the shiva period of mourning, a Jewish tradition where the family retreats to the home for a week and...
Celebrity Death Quiz
Yesterday was my husband's 60th birthday. My brother gave him this "Celebrity Death Quiz" card, and Dave, who has an amazing capacity to remember trivial information, got all the answers right. The challenge - match the celebrity to their death. Here's the list of ways they died and who they were: 1. Decapitation a. Mama Cass 2. Plane Crash b. John Belushi 3. Drowned ...
Video of Toastmasters Talk on Cremation
http://youtu.be/T7-wIG6Si5k I recently gave a Toastmasters talk about cremation trends titled The Crème de la "Crem." You can watch the YouTube video (would love to get your feedback!) or read the written version of the talk below. In the film, Hereafter, directed by Clint Eastwood, there’s a scene set in London. Ten-year-old Marcus is attending the funeral of his twin brother, Jason, who was killed in a car accident. Marcus, his mother, and...
William Breitbart Talk on Confronting Our Mortality
Last night I attended a talk by William S. Breitbart, MD titled "Confronting Our Mortality: A Crisis of Spirit, an Opportunity for Meaning." The event was held by IDEAS in Psychiatry, a non-profit institute affiliated with the University of New Mexico Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Breitbart's insightful lecture provided much to ponder regarding end-of-life issues. Breitbart has dedicated much of his career to helping people find hope and...
Frozen Dead Guy Days Round Two
Mark your calendars for March 2-4, 2012 for the 11th annual Frozen Dead Guy Days festival in Nederland, Colorado! I'll be at this wild and wacky celebration of all things dead and frozen, bringing back The Newly-Dead Game™ which debuted there last year. Frozen Dead Guy Days is enjoying a surge of publicity over the past few days. The New York Times recently did a story about how festival manager Amanda MacDonald bought the festival from...
Jewish and Hmong Memorial Monuments
Katzman Monument Company makes memorial markers for Jewish and Hmong cemetery headstones.
Healthy New Year Short Video
While you usually see me writing about end-of-life and funeral planning, I'm all about making the most of this lifetime - living and dying. In my spare time, I'm a yoga and Pilates instructor at my neighborhood YMCA. I live a generally healthy lifestyle (including eating dark chocolate) and encourage my students to do so as well. Recently saw this great video about the best thing you can do for your health - it's easy, it's free, and it only...
50 Truths of Life
Nancy Weil, founder of The Laugh Academy, just turned 50. In honor of reaching the Big 5-0, she wrote this thought-provoking list of her 50 Truths of Life. It's got some good insights on living and dying. Enjoy! HEALTH 1. A pedicure in winter is the best, especially because it is your own private treat. 2. If you eat whatever you want and you do not go to the gym, you will gain weight. I have tested this theory a million times and I always get...
Hidden Retirement Trend – The Good Death
MoneyWatch reporter Steve Vernon did a story titled "Five hidden retirement trends of 2011." He reported on some important emerging trends that might not have made the headlines, but they still require your attention in the months and years to come. One of them involves end-of-life issues. They include: 1. New products and services to generate retirement income 2. The Department of Labor issues regulations on expert advice in 401(k) plans 3....
A Winter Solstice Poem
Last night we visited the Mount Calvary Catholic Cemetery, which is a hub of activity on Christmas Eve. Hundreds of people decorated the graves of their relatives with luminarias, mini-Christmas trees, multicolored lights, and mini-displays complete with music. The video below shows the extent of the holiday decorations lighting up the night. The poem I'm reading during the video is Winter Solstice by Isaac C. Eastvold. The text of the poem is...
A Good Goodbye Book Reviews
Two book reviews of A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don't Plan to Die recently appeared at BookPleasures.com and AllTheSingleGirlfriends.com. Here is an excerpt from David Menefee's review at BookPleasures.com: Loved ones often die unexpectedly, and we have precious little time to prepare a funeral. Most of us feel broadsided by shock and grief, and most of us have no idea what must be done, or how to avoid being taken advantage...