I work as the Office Manager for a church. One of the functions of my job is help plan and prepare for funerals. We have three in the next week. Every time we have one, I think about what I would want and what my family would want or be able to handle. Morbid...maybe. But, I think it is important to plan in advance. Anyway...I was wondering what other people thought about what they would want. Cremation or burial? Religious service? Good old fashioned wake? Any cultural or religious aspects to be observed? I want a cremation, to have the service at my church, I want the song "Seasons of Love", I would love to have my ashes scattered in a redwood forest or urn buried under a redwood tree (though for my husband's sake I have agreed to do the whole headstone thing). Any one like to share?
I'll then buy and place you at my house, next to your twin. I haven't really given it much thought, to be honest. I think I would prefer cremation, but I'm not certain. The idea of being stuffed into a box makes me feel claustrophobic, but I'll just be a dead slab of meat so it won't matter anyway. Gee, I don't know...
My issue with burial is twofold...1) I don't want to rot slowly while being eaten by bugs...I'm dead so it shouldn't matter...just seems gross 2) we use a LOT of land to bury the dead...cremation doesn't take up as much space.
I would prefer to be cremated. I havent looked into it at all (I'm still young and not anticipating a death in the near futre), but I'd imagine that it costs less than buying a burial plot, gravestone, and casket. Additionally, rooming with the worms is kind of eerie. Even though I'd prefer cremation, I still find the idea of being kept in a jar kind of creepy, so I'd prefer to have my ashes released, like Rob. I dont think you need a physical reminder, especially a person's remains, to miss someone, so release me please. (Where to be released, I am also uncertain.) All the same, my perceptions on death and the afterlife arent really very typical, so I guess if my family wanted to keep me around, they could... No matter if you're cremated or buried or just left on soil to decay, you're going to return to the earth from which you came... I'd rather just take up as little space as possible.
When you are cremated, they don't exactly fit your whole body in to an urn. I cannot remember where the rest of ya goes, but I know this because I had to visit a funeral home for school. Either way will not be pleasant. I have no preference. Which ever is cheaper. I would never want my family to go broke for my funeral.
Putting money aside, I'd love to be shot off into space with a picture of DragonForce that says "beat this." Considering money, I would like to radiated by prolonged exposure to cellphones until I slowly disintegrate from the radiation. ;P
My body will go to medical science, with the remains eventually cremated and buried under a hazel tree by the stream in my brother's rural garden. I've no interest in ceremonies.
I don't care what Joel does with my body when I die, whether it be cremation or burial. I guess maybe cremation, because I'm a little claustrophobic? But I don't have much of an opinion on that subject. All I care about is the funeral. Which I would rather not be a funeral so much as a huge party. Joel said I can't have a party for my funeral, and since I won't be there for the planning, I probably won't get my way, but still...that's what I want.
As an organ donor I won't get any say in what happens to some of me... but the rest of me they can cremate and do whatever with the ashes. (There's some pretty nifty things you can do, like there's an artists that mixes a persons' ashes into their paint and does portraits etc with it, and I'm pretty sure I read a story a while back where ashes were mixed into vinyl before they were pressed into albums). As for the funeral, not too fussed about that, either. I just hope by the time one comes up for consideration, I've done enough for people to be focussing more on fond memories than anything else...
My Grandfather is a Mortician and is Co-Owner of one of the Funeral Home/Mortuaries here in Florida. Because of this my family has a very Scientific point of view on burial and cremation and open knowledge of preparation of remains before viewing. I have to say, my Grandfather's crematory almost always returns the complete cremains back to the family. The only exception is any remaining bone matter which can't be ground small enough to fit into the temporary box or Urn and this is rare. Metal prosthetics, screws or such can't be cremated, of course, and they are usually just discarded. I am planning to be cremated and my ashes are going to be scattered at sea, that is if my children will jointly agree...they are divided. After much thought, it seems selfish for me to say what they are to do with my remains, I am not going to know anything. So, if it makes them more comfortable to keep me, then that is what I want. Whatever helps them to heal and make peace with my passing.
