Planning A Funeral Sendoff
is Not Just for Older People
by M-Gillies
No one talks about their imminent death.
Death is that taboo
most people tuck under the rug
and pretend isn’t there.
Death is shunned.
Death
is he-who-shall-not-be-named!!
Death well it happens,
whether you want it to
or not...
One day we all end up taking the dirt nap, kicking the
bucket, or fertilizing the lawn as we take a one-way ticket to our afterlife.
Death, unlike most things in life, is not picky – it does not discriminate
between who lives and who dies. There is no age cap on death, so why should we
feel the need to wait until we are older before pre-planning our own sendoffs?
At the age of 17, Alex Lewis was diagnosed with bone cancer.
Not wanting to live his life based on his illness, within the span of three
years, Lewis accomplished a lifetime’s worth of achievements – travelling the
world, sky-diving, meeting and marrying the love of his life.
Despite knowing that any day could be his last, Lewis spoke
openly and non-nonchalantly of his desire to be cremated and for his ashes to
be scattered across Craven Cottage (a
football stadium in London, England). He wanted his family to remember him for
who he was and for the accomplishments he had achieved. Shortly before his
death at 22, he told his family that regardless of his debilitating disease, he
had lived a full-life.
While Lewis knew his time was short, many people take for
granted that planning ahead and informing family members of final wishes, is
beneficial in the grieving process. Daily, stories of men and women in the
prime of their lives are subject to unforeseeable accidents, or suffer sudden
illnesses which cut their lives short. Hindsight is only 20/20 after all. But
what if you wanted to be buried, what if you wanted to be cremated or have your
ashes scattered across a sentimental park? Who would know if you haven’t told
anyone?
Often people assume that this is covered in the will, but
few know that a will is only an inventory list of the assets of your estate.
There are no legal documents that stipulate how one’s body is to be disposed of
or whether a particular song or prayer be recited. Often times, this is a
decision chosen by family members when a funeral director presents them with
these options. But those personal touches, favorite music, memorabilia and
particular clothing are making their way into the funeral industry’s
ever-evolving market place.
People want something memorable, something emotionally
lifting, something personal, and whether you are 18 or 78. Despite being
healthy, fit, or safety conscious, pre-planning your own sendoff is an
opportunity to share with your family a way of personalizing a ceremony
dedicated to the life you lived.
