Preparing Expectations For Funeral Home Services Posted on April 25, 2022 by ilesfuneralhomes There are some things in your life that you just can’t know. They say knowledge is power, but there are some things that we cannot have power over. For example, you can’t have power over death. You don’t know when it’s going to happen, either to you or to family members. When you lose a family member, however, you can prepare for their services with funeral homes in Des Moines, IA. You can have that knowledge and go into the process with a sense of understanding that you know what is going to happen. Here are some of the things to expect so you can prepare for the upcoming services. Figure Out What You Want From The Visitation The visitation service is an open house that you can attend any time within the open hours. You don’t have to go for the whole time, but rather can stop in between the hours listed for the service. You can expect to see your loved one in their casket at the front of the room. Their closest family members will also likely be present. You don’t have to feel obligated to approach the casket. Rather, if you want to get closure and see the person up close, you can. But you can also stay back, talk to the family, and give them the support you want them to have. Decide what you want for the visitation or do what feels right when the time comes. Know that whatever you decide is perfectly acceptable. The Formal Funeral The funeral will occur at a certain time and you will want to arrive on time. Turn your phone off and dress in a conservative manner so you will fit in. At the funeral, you can expect people to be emotional and perhaps even to be crying. You will likely hear readings, songs, and a eulogy, among other things. The service will likely take an hour or so and after it is over, the family will be invited to process to the burial service. The Burial At The Cemetery Once you arrive at the cemetery, along with everyone else in a line that follows one after the other, you will watch the casket be carried to the burial plot and placed at the cemetery. You will likely hear someone speak for a few moments before the service closes. Some family may stay behind to say a final goodbye, otherwise, you can move on to the reception. The Reception Meal At the funeral, the person presiding over the service will likely inform the guests of the reception and invite those in attendance to join in on that as well. Once the burial is over, you can go to the reception, spend more time with the family, and have a meal in their honor. It may have been a while since you have services with funeral homes in Des Moines, IA and you might want to prepare for what is to come. Going into the services with the right expectations can help you to face things.
Memorials And Cremation Go Hand In Hand With Grief Posted on April 18, 2022 by ilesfuneralhomes When you think of cremation services in Des Moines, IA, you might think of something direct that happens soon after death. The person going through cremation doesn’t have any services before the cremation occurs. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t have something after the cremation for a loved one who is going through the process. In fact, memorial services more often than not follow a cremation service at some point. There’s no timeline on the process, but it can help to have a memorial process in order to move forward with grief. Here are a few reasons why. Get And Give Closure You and the rest of your family members are going to need closure in order to move forward with the grieving process. You might get that closure, and allow your family members to get it as well, through the memorial service process. You can recognize that your loved one is gone and is not coming back. That can be huge in moving your grief forward. Saying Goodbye Many people feel the need to say goodbye in order to move on with their life and to get past the initial grieving process. Saying those words out loud might help. Other people can say them in their heart as a part of the memorial service process. That service can allow you and your family to get that final goodbye in as you move into a new normal for your life. Access Family Support Your family might not come together very often, but when someone passes on, they will gather together in order to honor that person if you have a memorial service. You get the support you need from your family and from other friends. They also get what they need from you. Gathering your family together can mean a lot to you during this hard time. Your loved one is missing, but you still have a lot of people there who care about you. Send Your Loved One Off With Honor One reason some families go through the memorial service process is simply to give their loved one a nice send-off. You might feel like you want your loved one to get a certain level of honor at the end of their life, and that’s a nice reason to go forward with a memorial service. You can even have a life celebration, which can help you to go over the good times and celebrate a life well-lived. The memorial service can be all about your loved one and giving them the respect they deserve during this final time of their life. When you have cremation services in Des Moines, IA for a loved one who passed on, a memorial service may follow shortly after or sometime in the future. While you don’t have to have a memorial in order to have a cremation, those two things often go hand in hand to help your family grieve in the proper manner and to honor your loved one.
Putting A Cremation Service Care Package Together Posted on April 11, 2022 by ilesfuneralhomes If you have lost a loved one, you know how hard the process is to go through. While you also know that there’s nothing you can say or do to take away a grieving friend’s pain, you still want to support them however you can around their loved one’s cremation services in West Des Moines, IA. You can attend the services, send flowers, put some money in a card, or even put together a cremation service care package. If you want to put together a package, here are some options to consider. Snack Items You want your friend to nourish themselves during this hard time and they might not be getting the meals they need at the right times. Include some snacks you know they enjoy that are healthy and filling. Perhaps some protein bars or trail mixes that they can easily grab and snack on between things. You can also put a few sweets in there to give them a treat that can help you to remind them that you know them well and know what they like. Relaxing Options Your friend might be stressed out during this hard time. Their plans can be overwhelming and they need to take time out to relax when they are able. Put in some bubble bath, lotion, a good book, a candle, and some other things that might help them to relax. Those items can help them to remember that self-care is important during this hard time. Favorite Colors If your friend has a favorite color, you might want to incorporate items in that color to show them that you care and are thinking of them. You know them well and it’s time for that knowledge to show off a bit. Put in a baby blue blanket, a card with blue colorings, or other items that feature their favorite colors. It will remind them that they have people out there who care enough about them to pay attention to even the little things. Gifts For Later While your friend is likely trying to concentrate on their family and the person who needs the cremation services right now, you might want to include things like gift cards for places they enjoy that they can use later. You know they like a certain restaurant or coffee shop and gift cards to those locations can give them something to look forward to as they heal and move forward with their life in their own way. Memories To Make Them Smile Did you see a certain movie together for the first time? Include a DVD of that film to make them smile. Place a picture of you with your friend in the basket, too, to remind them how many people they have standing behind them and supporting them through this hard time. Those memories can help them to smile and to move forward. Cremation services in West Des Moines, IA are hard to get through, but your friend has your support and the cremation care package will remind them of that.
The Importance Of Self Care Around Funerals Posted on April 4, 2022 by ilesfuneralhomes There’s nothing easy about grieving, but the professionals at funeral homes in West Des Moines, IA are going to take care of your loved one as if they were their own. You need to understand that your loved one is in good hands and their needs are being met. While you are responsible for making sure they get that care, once they are in the funeral home’s hands, you know that they are getting what they need. You will have to let them go and focus on caring for yourself and the rest of your family members. Your own self-care is going to be very important around the planning and funeral home service as a whole. Here are a few things you are going to want to do. Eat You may not feel hungry when you are going through the grieving process and it can be hard to force yourself to eat. When you feel those hunger pangs, stop what you are doing and get a healthy meal. Snack on healthy items as well because you need food to be your fuel at this time. It’s important to give your body as much energy as possible because grief can sap that energy out of you. Rest Make sleep a priority and try to keep your schedule even and regular, if you can. Go to bed at the normal time and get up when you usually do. If you are having trouble sleeping, or feel overwhelmed and tired during the day, it’s okay to take a break from family and from the plans you are making and rest. Lie down, take a nap, or just listen to some music for a while to refresh your mind and your body. Fresh Air You might feel stressed out over the plans and that’s not a feeling that is unexpected, but it’s also not something you want to stick around. When you feel that stress, try to give yourself some space from the situation. Take a walk with your dog or with a family member. You can even just step out back and breath the fresh air in deeply. Take in the birds singing and the blue sky and it can help you put things into perspective nicely. Avoid Self-Isolating You will want time to yourself during this process, and that’s okay. But you might find yourself pushing people away and trying to be alone more often than not, and that’s not a good thing for you. You need family support and you will want to let people be there for you during this hard time. It’s in your best interest to be around others who support you, not to be alone all of the time. Once you have chosen funeral homes in West Des Moines, IA to work with, place your loved one in their capable hands and know that they are going to get what they need. Then, you can focus on your own grief and on self-care to get through this situation.
