Death is coming

The closer death creeps up upon me the less I am able to understand the reasons for life or living.

Yes I have experienced a close family member dying and unlike television it takes decades to handle such a thing. To think I am going to put my family through such a thing when I finally leave is more horrific to me than the thought of death itself.

My life was and is still a learning experience but when all said and done what am I to do with all this accumulated learning over my lifetime if I just die. There is no logic or reason to this.

Long ago I became aware that the God story that is sold to the majority is just a nice story to give mankind with a message of a basic layout of how nice life could be if everyone followed these ideas. Not many in life do and if one thinks about it the good and evil structures actually depend on each other. The good that can be experienced in life is only understood as good when there is it's opposite to compare it to. This is not rocket science only common sense in reality. I am not saying we need to experience bad but understanding in it is needed to appreciate the great things many of us can have in our lives. From birth to death there are many ways mankind helps his fellow man. How many ways can you help?


Thursday, March 28, 2013

Funeral Etiquette " What To Do And Not Do

By Blaine Dur


No one wishes to have the chance to go to a wake or a funeral but death is an inevitable part of life and there's nothing that can be done about it. There'll always come a time when you'd have to go to a funeral parlour due to the demise of your own loved one or friend, or a relative of a close friend in which case you must know how to pay respects to the deceased and his or her family.

Dress appropriately. Abide by the prescribed dress code and if there is none, take cue from the family's religion or ethnic origin. Avoid bright coloured clothing and stick to muted tones. Needless to say, it's always best to wear modest clothing. Unless there's a notice to wear otherwise, wearing black is usually accepted and can be your safest bet when you're in doubt.

Remember that you are there to give your heartfelt sympathies and support to the bereaved family. Say your condolences as your arrive and ask if there's anything that you can do for them. You can take the opportunity to reconnect with relatives or old friends but note that this is not the time for boisterous chit-chatting or networking as a form of giving respect to the grieving family and guests.

There may be requests that the family will ask of you. Try as much as possible to act on it well as your own way of helping them cope with the sorrow that they are experiencing. Otherwise, be the one to ask if there is anything that you can do for them to somehow ease their burden. It's possible that they're still very emotional with the situation so they will surely appreciate the gesture that you're offering.

If for some reason you're not able to be present at the wake or the funeral, you can opt to send a funeral basket or bunch of flowers attached with a special hand-written message to express your deepest condolences. This should be enough to make the family feel your love and support even when you cannot physically be with them. You may order online or count on Singapore funeral parlour companies to send the flowers for you. You can have the flowers sent directly to the family's home address or check with the funeral parlour Singapore firm that the family has engaged if they can prepare the flowers for you and then hand it over to the family.




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