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Concerns Some Have About Cremation Services

cremation services in Urbandale, IA

If you have to make decisions for a loved one who has passed on, or if you are trying to figure out what you want to do for yourself in the future, it’s smart to consider cremation services in Urbandale, IA as well as funeral home options. If you have any concerns about cremation, or you know people in your family who do, ask questions and get to the bottom of those concerns so you can get everything worked out and move forward from there. Here are a few concerns some people have.

Can You Have A Funeral First?

Some people believe that you can either have a funeral or a cremation, but not both. That’s not the case at all. Cremation services allow you to do whatever you want. You can have a full funeral and visitation service first and then follow those up with cremation services. Or, you can have cremation in a direct manner and after that, you can have a memorial service that feels like a funeral with many of the same traditions in place. Cremation allows you the freedom to do whatever you want on any timeline you want to do it on.

What Are Memorials Like?

If you feel like direct cremation might be a good option for your situation, you may want to know more about memorial services. What are they like? The truth is, they are whatever you make of them. If you want to do something traditional in a funeral home or church, you can. If you want to do something casual like a picnic in a park, you can. If you want to celebrate your loved one’s life, you can. Do whatever feels best for your loved one’s personality and the rest of your family.

Is Your Religion Okay With it?

This has been a hurdle over the years, but most major religions are now completely fine with cremation services. Some even promote the option as their method of choice. There are a few hold outs, so if you want to be absolutely sure, you should talk to your faith leaders and go ahead from there. But cremation is an honorable option and is accepted by most religions.

How Much Will It Cost?

Cremation services are going to cost less than the other methods. The more simple and straightforward you keep it, the less it will cost. It’s nice to know that any cremation package will include everything you need for the process. You can add whatever you want, but the package itself will cover the needs. These package prices will give you a good idea as to what things are going to cost.

What Can You Do With the Cremains?

cremation services in Urbandale, IA

Like memorial services, there’s no timeline on the final resting place process and cremation services in Urbandale, IA allow you to do whatever you want. You can keep the remains, bury them in a cemetery, bury them in a garden at home, scatter them, or do a variety of any other things.

How To Reduce Stress Around Funeral Home Plans

funeral homes in Urbandale, IA

There’s likely going to be some stress around planning final services for a loved one with funeral homes in Urbandale, IA. There’s no way around that. But when you start to feel like the stress is too large for you to handle, you are going to need to reduce the overwhelming emotions. Here are some of the ways you can relieve yourself from some of the burdens so you can get through this hard time.

Let Others Help

You have a lot on your shoulders, but that doesn’t mean you have to plan every detail, even if you are the person who is ultimately in charge of things. When other family members offer to chip in and help, let them. If someone offers to host and organize the reception, thank them and let them step in. If a family member asks what you need from the store, give them a list. Take people up on their offers to help and if you don’t get enough offers, reach out and ask. People are willing to help you in these hard situations.

Allow Yourself To Rest

Your body is going through a trying time right now. Grieving is emotional, but also a physical thing. You are going to want to rest whenever you feel the need so you have the energy you need to get through the plans. You may not be sleeping that well overnight, which is normal, so when you feel tired during the day, let yourself take a break from the plans, from family, and from everything else and nap on the couch.

Take Things One At A Time

There are a lot of details that get wrapped up into the funeral home planning process. When you look at the list of things you need to decide and get through, it can be a lot. Try not to stress over the many things you need to do and instead, tell the funeral director to give you one thing at a time. First, they might ask you to decide on a casket for your loved one. Then, they might have you pick out a cemetery plot and so on. Taking one decision at a time can help you to de-stress by looking at just what’s in front of you and not the large picture at hand.

Grieve When You Need To

funeral homes in Urbandale, IA

Grieving is something that is quite natural and you are going to want to allow it to happen whenever it needs to. If you feel the need to cry, take a break from your planning and do so. Have a family member come over and give you a shoulder to cry on. Allow yourself those moments to vent your emotions because it really can help you to relieve stress.

Listen To Expert Advice

The professionals at funeral homes in Urbandale, IA are there to help you through the planning process and that includes giving you advice. Their advice can really help you to put stress into perspective.

Affordable Memorials After Cremation Services

cremation services in Des Moines, IA

Once a loved one goes through cremation services in Des Moines, IA, you might have a memorial service for them and you may even gather with family to lay them to rest in a nice location through scattering, burial, or another avenue. But there are things you can do yourself to memorialize your loved one in an affordable manner. Here are some of the things you can consider doing.

A Music Playlist

If your loved one may have had certain musical tastes and you want to remember their eclectic style. Make a playlist you know they would be proud of and when you want to think of them, play that in the background of your day. You can play it when you look at pictures of them, when you are reading, or any other time you feel the need to do so.

Planting A Garden Or Tree

If your loved one had a green thumb, it can make sense to plan things for them and think of them while they grow and you care for those items. Planting a tree in your yard can be especially moving as that is something that will get huge and be around for a long time. You can also plant a garden with flowers, vegetables they enjoyed or liked to grow themselves, and other such things. It doesn’t have to cost much to have your own memorial right there in your yard.

A Scrapbook

You likely have a lot of pictures of your loved one and you might want to organize them in a manner that gives you something to look over when you want to think about your loved one. You can put them into a scrapbook, for example, and decorate around them. You can add movie stubs, quotes, or anything else around the pictures and make it something that is special and just for you.

Repurposes Belongings

You may have ended up with some of your loved one’s belongings, and they are going to be very special to you. But are you really going to wear their old concert t-shirts? Probably not. Have a quilt made out of them instead so you can have them out, enjoy them, and even use the blanket as something to keep yourself warm. It can feel like a hug from your loved one when you use it. There are lots of other things you can use in different ways as memorials for your loved one.

Cremation Jewelry

cremation services in Des Moines, IA

Something special you might appreciate is a piece of cremation jewelry. You can place a little bit of your loved one’s ashes inside this piece and wear your loved one close to your heart. You can also store it in your house, perhaps on display in a place of honor, when you aren’t wearing it.

If you are trying to figure out how to memorialize your loved one after their cremation services in Des Moines, IA, there are plenty of affordable things you can do. Talk to the cremation providers and get more details.

Funeral Directors—General Characteristics

funeral homes in Des Moines, IA

There are some people that fit naturally into the role of a funeral director. While you may not be able to imagine doing that job yourself, there are individuals who feel called into the industry and couldn’t imagine working anywhere other than in funeral homes in Des Moines, IA. As is true in most industries, some people are better at their jobs as funeral directors than others. When you are searching for professionals, here are some of the things you are going to want in your funeral directors.

Compassionate

Every funeral director should be very good at showing compassion. Most of them come by this ability naturally and they all get a lot of practice at it, which makes them even better at giving you what you need moving forward. You should feel the compassion from the funeral director right away and every step of the process. If you don’t feel it, that might not be the right funeral home for you.

Supportive

Funeral directors are there to ensure you get what you need, and that your loved one who has passed on does as well. They are not, however, there to make decisions for you. They will support whatever you decide and when you have questions, they will support you with the information you need to make the right decisions for your family. They will also support you with implementation, compassion, ideas, and everything else you need to gather the right options for this event.

Dedicated

You want the funeral director to be dedicated to their job, not someone who is searching for something different to do. You should feel their dedication in the ideas they offer, the time they are willing to spend with you, and how they seem to want everything to be just right as badly as you do.

Hard-Working

Funeral directors sometimes work odd hours. They need to be available to you any time of the day or night because people aren’t going to pass away just during business hours when it’s convenient. You want your funeral director to be accessible and willing to work as long and as hard as they need to in order to take care of the needs you have before you.

Creative

You may know what you want for some of your loved one’s final services, but for other areas, you may not have any ideas. Funeral directors are often creative individuals who are there to help you with ideas and options so you can figure out just what direction you want to take for your family.

funeral homes in Des Moines, IA

If you are trying to figure out what funeral home you are going to use for your loved one’s final services, you will want to look especially carefully at the funeral director. You want certain characteristics in that individual because they are going to be a point person in this process. There are lots of things you will want in funeral homes in Des Moines, IA you use for something as important as final services, including a funeral director with just the right personality and style.