The Family Plot Blog
Greetings from the New Mexico Conference on Aging
I've been hanging out today talking about funeral planning along with the fine folks at French Advance Planning. We were in the expo hall for the New Mexico Conference on Aging. Here's a little video from the day. Governor Susana Martinez is going to be speaking here tomorrow - that should be interesting to witness. Anyone have any questions they want me to ask her? http://youtu.be/PMeZ5XPK6O8
Video from ADEC Conference
http://youtu.be/_qN2PxK0TBU At the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC) conference back in June, I met a wonderful woman from Scotland named Tabitha Jayne. She spoke at the conference about overcoming grief by communing with nature. Her talk was titled, “The Transformative Power of Nature in Grief and Loss.” Tabitha Jayne became an expert in the field of grief and loss coaching after she developed an interest in the topic...
Funeral Words of Wisdom
Enjoy this wonderfully poetic essay, words of wisdom about living and dying and funerals. It was written by someone who participated in the Celebrant training at ICCFA University who wishes to remain anonymous. One day you will have a funeral. Now, none of us want it to happen but we all know it will. Stuffed in a suit, buried in a box, you’ll burn to ashes, walk through pearly gates, chill underground, or maybe reincarnate. Point is your life...
A Creative End for Larry Hagman
In Sunday's New York Times Magazine, actor Larry Hagman had a fun Q&A with Andrew Goldman in the "Talk" column. He's got an interesting take on funeral planning. The online version is titled "The Rollicking Life of Larry Hagman" and he talks about a mescaline trip on an Indian reservation, being drunk most of the time he played J.R. Ewing on the TV show "Dallas" and his love of soaking in hot water. But it's the last answer that I love the...
Celebrants Offer More Meaningful Funerals
Meaningful funerals. Isn’t that a given? Aren’t most funerals meaningful and personal? If you’ve been to one recently, you know that’s not always the case. A recent article on Miller-McCune.com explored aspects of the services offered by celebrants. "Families with no house of worship or clergy too busy to lead a service may resort to a “rent-a-minister," says Glenda Stansbury, dean of the In-Sight Institute in Oklahoma City, one of the...
Revive the Men of Mortuaries Calendar!
Check out this Men of Mortuaries calendar image from 2008. The Good Funeral Guide Blog in the U.K., headed up by Charles Cowling, recently ran a post about the charitable calendar that made appearances in 2007 and 2008. Obit Magazine did a fun story about the project back in 2007: OMG!! Men of Mortuaries? The calendar is produced by KAMM Cares, a non-profit organization created by Kenneth McKenzie (Mr. June 2008). The organization places money...
Eulogy for a Young Person
After reading this post, if you're looking for additional guidance on creating a eulogy, check out these other Family Plot Blog posts: A Short Memorial Service Template A Ceremony for Cremation During Celebrant training at the ICCFA University in July, our class of 36 was split up into teams of three and given the assignment of creating a personalized, non-religious memorial service for a specific kind of death. The categories of deaths...
Eleanor Clift on the Conversation about Hospice
Eleanor Clift had a column in today's Cleveland Plain Dealer about the importance of talking about hospice and end-of-life care and choices. Her husband was Tom Brazaitis, a columnist for the paper. She makes some excellent points about health care costs, "death panels," and reaching "a good death." Why talking about end-of-life care is more important than ever: Eleanor Clift My late husband, Tom Brazaitis, was a columnist for The Plain Dealer,...
CRAGG: Interview on Cult Radio-A-Go-Go Tonight!
The Internet radio program Cult Radio-A-Go-Go, a.k.a. CRAGG, is interviewing Gail Rubin this Saturday, August 6 at 8:00 p.m Pacific Time/9:00 p.m. Mountain Time/10:00 p.m. Central Time/11:00 p.m. Eastern Time. To listen in, visit http://www.cultradioagogo.com/ and click on the "Listen Live" button. Gail is a Certified Celebrant and author of A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don't Plan to Die. She'll discuss new trends in funerals,...
New Trend: 3-D Faces on Gravestones
Creepy or comforting? I'm thinking this development is kinda creepy. A company in Florida called LOOKLIKES is using 3-D mapping technology developed for turning Mars and Moon landscapes into topographical models (for plotting suitable landing sites) to make eerily realistic face sculptures of the deceased to put on their memorial markers. The technology will be introduced at this year’s National Funeral Directors Association convention in...
Gail Rubin Becomes a Certified Celebrant
In our mobile society with fewer ties to church or a specific religion, Funeral Celebrants offer families a personalized and individualized funeral or memorial service experience. Gail Rubin, author of A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don’t Plan to Die, recently became a Funeral Celebrant certified by the In-Sight Institute. A Funeral Celebrant is trained in the specific area of conducting funerals and memorial services for...
Funeral for Charlie Sheen Character
The news is just breaking that Charlie Sheen's character in the CBS sitcom "Two and a Half Men" will be killed off at the start of the new season that starts September 19. Where there's a death, there's a funeral, always a rich source for comedy situations. Deadline and TMZ report that Charlie Harper is dead and that the two-part premiere will include a funeral populated by the playboy's many past girlfriends. This could be as amusing as the...
Cryonics Founder Dies at 92, Frozen Immediately
Robert C.W. Ettinger, who conceived and created cryonics (preserving a body in a deep freeze for eventual reanimation), died on July 23 at his home in Clinton Township, Mich. He was 92. We have Mr. Ettinger to thank for the eventual creation of the Frozen Dead Guy Days festival. Ettinger was a physics instructor and science fiction writer whose idea of freezing the dead for future reanimation repelled most scientists. Ettinger's work inspired...
Funeral Planning by the Numbers
Just spoke yesterday at Alamosa Books as part of a day of talks by SouthWest Writers members in different genres (mine was nonfiction). Had a great turnout with a group of widows who made an outing to hear me talk! The speech was "Funeral Planning by the Numbers." It covers numbers one through six, which are: One life to live Two events: weddings and funerals and their similarities Three reasons we don't want to pre-plan funerals Four reasons...
Alamosa Book Store Event Saturday
If you're in Albuquerque, hope you'll come out for a talk I'm giving at an author event at Alamosa Books this Saturday, July 30 at 3:15 p.m. I'll be talking about A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don't Plan to Die, while dressed in full "Doyenne of Death" regalia! A bunch of local authors who are members of SouthWest Writers are speaking throughout the day at Alamosa Books. The store is located on the northwest corner of Paseo del...
A Good Goodbye TV Interview
Check out the TV interview this morning on New Mexico Style on KASA FOX 2! A Good Goodbye Published : Thursday, 28 Jul 2011, 1:14 PM MDT KASA - "The Doyenne of Death," and Author of "A Good Goodbye," Gail Rubin, joins Nikki to talk about her book, the importance of funeral planning and being best prepared for the inevitable deaths we will have to deal with in our lives. She lightens up a heavy topic and shares details for all her upcoming...
KASA FOX 2 Interview on New Mexico Style
Gail Rubin, author of The Family Plot Blog and A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don't Plan to Die, will be interviewed on New Mexico Style on Thursday, July 28, 2011 between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. Gail is presenting a talk, "Using Funny Films to Start Serious Funeral Planning Conversations," on Thursday afternoon at the Bear Canyon Senior Center, 4645 Pitt NE, Albuquerque, NM. She will show film clips from major motion pictures...
Memorial Markers at Elmwood Cemetery
The historic Elmwood Cemetery in Memphis, TN has some fascinating memorial markers. Here are some images of headstones with faces. These first two are from the old Greek section: This memorial marker for the Laukhuffs incorporates stained glass, which was their business. Makes a lovely enduring monument to their work. And here's an angel with a new head: Some history of Elmwood Cemetery: A big thank you to cemetery supervisor Todd Fox for...
Living and Dying and the First Piggly Wiggly
http://youtu.be/GhQMMZcvmfs Visiting Memphis for the ICCFA University to become a certified celebrant, got the opportunity to visit The Pink Palace Museum, a local landmark built by grocery store pioneer, Clarence Saunders, founder of the Piggly Wiggly chain. Within the museum is a recreation of the first Piggly Wiggly self serve grocery store, where customers picked up a basket and helped themselves to items on the shelves in several aisles....
Book Review: When We Must Say Farewell
When We Must Say Farewell, a book by funeral director Karl E. Jennings, provides great insights on the power of funeral rituals to heal grief. This slim volume, subtitled, "Rethinking why and how we live by the way we say farewell to those we love," introduces Acute Loss Management (ALM) to thanatology (death studies). Jennings, who is also co-founder of the Healing Farewell Centers of America, posits that seven phases of loss create a...
App for End-of-Life Wishes
Technology is updating end-of-life. From QR (quick response) codes on grave markers to a medical directives application for the iPad, it's amazing what's taking place at the end of the line. QR (quick response) codes are two-dimensional bar codes that were created in 1994 by Toyota subsidiary Denso-Wave to track car parts through the manufacturing process. Now with the rise in smartphone usage, there are apps that allow you to use your...