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Funeral Homes Plan Delivery of Services on the 5
Elements of a Funeral
By Jim D Green
The funeral service for my Mom proved more difficult
than my sister, Diane, and I had anticipated. There were
more details to cover with the funeral home than we had
anticipated. Besides notifying relatives and friends,
there were details to manage we had not given much
thought such as Mom's insurance policy, locating the
paper work on her burial plot, a burial dress, choosing
a casket, and more.
We were so glad we chose the newest funeral home in our
city where we found a caring and supportive staff. Our
funeral director helped us through the process and
discussed some special arrangements for each of the five
phases of Mom's funeral.
1. The Visitation. This was a special time for our
family and friends to gather. It's sometimes called the
wake, or the viewing. We had Mom in an open casket in
the visitation room at the funeral home so all who loved
her could acknowledge her death and say goodbye. It was
a time for family and friends to support one another in
our grief, but also a time to celebrate her life through
a special video prepared by the funeral home staff. The
funeral home staff produced a video of highlights of
Mom's life which featured many photographs of Mom,
brothers, sisters, children, other family members and
friends. The video was shown continuously during the
visitation hours.
2. The Eulogy. A remembrance and acknowledgment of Mom
and the significance of her life to all who shared it.
The eulogy can be delivered by one or several family
members and friends, or by a member of the clergy. We
chose a local minister who shared some of our fondest
memories of Mom. A close friend also sang one of Mom's
favorite hymns, The Old Rugged Cross. The funeral home
arranged for a closed circuit broadcast of the eulogy
service, accessible on the internet, for relatives who
could not attend the funeral.
3.The Procession. It's also called the cortege. It's the
procession from the funeral chapel, or church, to the
grave site as a symbol of support by the public honoring
the death. Our family and friends were led to the final
resting place by the hearse containing the casket. The
funeral home arranged a police escort for the procession
and set up covered seating for family members at the
grave site.
4. The Committal Service is held at the grave site. The
ceremony there was our final opportunity to say goodbye.
We were surprised and touched by the release of white
doves at the close of grave site services, an added
element by the funeral home that we were unaware would
happen. It gave us an added sense of closure and another
special memory of Mom.
5. The Gathering. This precious time was limited to
family and closest friends. It was held in an informal
setting arranged at the funeral home to share more
stories and memories about Mom. It was a time of
celebration for the special person she was to each of
us.
God bless you Mom. We miss you.
Author: Jim D. Green. For additional information
concerning Lubbock funerals please visit the newest
funeral home in the city, Lake Ridge Chapel and Memorial
Designers at http://www.memorialdesigners.net |
