My guest and I shared about how we personally knew how costly it is to have a traditional funeral and the best way to combat those costs would be via a substantial life insurance policy, pre-planning/pre-payment, cremation, and/or having a non-traditional way of having a homegoing celebration for the departed beloved. My guest and I continued to share that a great many number of funerals are planned with the thought of impressing the living or out of guilt of what was not done when their loved one was alive.
I noted during this broadcast that every time the casket is moved, it costs money i.e. from the funeral home to the church they've attended for 50 years to the cemetery. I also shared that a friend shared a creative idea with me once...having a catered dinner with friends and family forgoing the funeral and church and its usual pomp and circumstances.
When my grandmother was living, she would oftentimes mention after a funeral that "that is just too much money to go into the ground." We took that into consideration when the sad yet appointed season came to planning her homegoing. Since my immediate family has been historically proactive in taking care of money matters, funeral expenses were already pre-paid for my grandmother. Her sentiments were respected because when caskets, burial plots, and services are pre-paid, the costs are already locked in for that era's pricing. My father had a top of the line quality full-couch casket that aren't common anymore - at least over 15 years ago, but the cost was thousands of dollars less than if the casket of today would have been purchased. Had cash been paid for his funeral last year, the total costs would have been $13,000 plus. Instead, the costs were SIGNIFICANTLY less and the painful sting in planning was lessened.
But getting back to the creative of celebrating the life of a beloved, I went about my day after the broadcast...in the kitchen actually... :)...and various ideas came to imagination:
- Catered dinner in an upscale venue to only friends, co-workers, and family that were pleasantly close and actively involved in the departed's life when they were living - hopefully the beloved was vocal to loved ones as to who they deemed close or special in their lives - past and present
- Private interment services with only immediate family
- Formal yet lively detailed program either during the catered dinner or in another venue could include: departed's favorite music played and favorite foods/refreshments served, reflections shared from intimate friends and family members, slide presentation from infant to latest memories, display of the departed's gifts/works/achievements in audio or visual, etc.
The departure of the spirit from the body temple is in inevitable period of time and remains a financial transaction that is just as important as buying a home, purchasing a vehicle, and paying for further education. Having this discussion and having wishes revealed and in place is the ultimate demonstration of love to all beloveds and ushers a sense of peace into a season.
