A fitting location for a funeral or memorial service is important to establishing the right mood for the celebration intended to honor the life of the deceased as well as to show our respects to the living. Every end-of-life plan should consider the attitudes, personality and lifestyle of the departed and the intended invitees at the celebration. For those such as myself who are not wealthy, except in spirit, we should also consider the costs associated with the venue.
After many years of high-powered, intense, beat-my-head-against-the-wall living, I now live my life in a much more informal and relaxed manner. Consequently, I personally prefer the thought of a memorial service in a private residence, fraternal organization, community building or a park.
I want nothing to do with a funeral home setting after my departure. The funeral director will be in charge of publishing my obituary in accord with my instructions, providing death certificates, et cetera, but the range of services used will be narrow compared to the services offered.
I respect funeral directors and the important services they provide, and I will use their services for removal of my body from my place of death to the crematory; however, I do not want their involvement in the funeral service itself.
A beautiful park environment would be a joyful place for an end of life celebration. I do not have enough friends who would want to attend a large memorial service, and my friends and family would be more comfortable in a relaxed, informal setting. Personally, unless I consider someone to be a friend or close acquaintance, their attendance at my memorial service is not required.
For those who live a more formal lifestyle, a church, synagogue, mosque, temple or other place of worship would be an ideal place for a public gathering. For the famous, a large amphitheater is an option for those who are society's version of aristrocrats and nobility.
Setting a location for a funeral or memorial service should always take into account the wishes of the decedent, his or her lifestyle, and the comfort of those who will be attending.
Burton Fletcher
www.USAMonuments.com
Burton@USAMonuments.com
Copyright, 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Showing posts with label Memorials. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Memorials. Show all posts
Friday, December 22, 2006
Friday, November 17, 2006
Terminology: Monument Versus Memorial
I recently exchanged email with a columnist regarding the difference between a monument and a memorial. I believe the thoughts may be of interest to my readers. Please feel free to email me your own thoughts at Burton@USAMonuments.com.
"Dear John,
You wrote another fine article, “We still need to hear Dr. King's words, not just visit a monument.” As a Southerner, I recall with appall the days of Jim Crow and overt institutional racism. I too am happy that public racism has been censored in our society. As a young man, I spoke out for equality of treatment for the races. As a society, we have come a long way, though we have not achieved equality of treatment or opportunity for our fellow man.
One point that you made deserves comment by me and I wish to express my view that a monument and a memorial though often considered to be synonymous have different meanings.
We memorialize honorees through monuments, plaques, street signs, moments of silence, parades, proclamations, building dedication ceremonies and holidays to honor the lives of noteworthy individuals, organizations, ideas and events.
Memorials are a broader concept than monuments. Surely, Dr. King deserves to be honored and memorialized as his actions were fundamental in changing the heart of a nation. The remembrance site in Washington D.C. will be a memorial. It is true that it will have one or more monuments, but the site itself is a memorial.
As a nationally recognized monument builder, with numerous national publications on the subject, I can state that a monument is, for all practical purposes, an object of remembrance. A memorial incorporates the use of monuments to memorialize the life or event that persons may wish to perpetuate in memory.
As a memorial designer, and owner of USAMonuments.com, I recognize that most families build monuments for their loved ones and not memorials. Private monuments usually express the name, dates of birth and death and perhaps a short epitaph and little more about the individual.
Memorials celebrate and honor the uniqueness of life, celebrating the characteristics of the individual and serving as a resource to not only honor the individual but to educate others both living as well as those who are not yet born.
I advocate the use of a Life History Plaque to memorialize the life and family history of a family’s loved ones. A $250 investment can serve as a testament that will be cherished through the ages and will turn the typical monument into a memorial that will serve to remind us and celebrate and honor our family history. This is much more to a memorial than a monument and Dr. King deserves to have many monuments and memorials to celebrate his profound positive influence on the moral compass of our nation and the world."
Share with us by emailing your thoughts to Burton@USAMonuments.com.
"Dear John,
You wrote another fine article, “We still need to hear Dr. King's words, not just visit a monument.” As a Southerner, I recall with appall the days of Jim Crow and overt institutional racism. I too am happy that public racism has been censored in our society. As a young man, I spoke out for equality of treatment for the races. As a society, we have come a long way, though we have not achieved equality of treatment or opportunity for our fellow man.
One point that you made deserves comment by me and I wish to express my view that a monument and a memorial though often considered to be synonymous have different meanings.
We memorialize honorees through monuments, plaques, street signs, moments of silence, parades, proclamations, building dedication ceremonies and holidays to honor the lives of noteworthy individuals, organizations, ideas and events.
Memorials are a broader concept than monuments. Surely, Dr. King deserves to be honored and memorialized as his actions were fundamental in changing the heart of a nation. The remembrance site in Washington D.C. will be a memorial. It is true that it will have one or more monuments, but the site itself is a memorial.
As a nationally recognized monument builder, with numerous national publications on the subject, I can state that a monument is, for all practical purposes, an object of remembrance. A memorial incorporates the use of monuments to memorialize the life or event that persons may wish to perpetuate in memory.
As a memorial designer, and owner of USAMonuments.com, I recognize that most families build monuments for their loved ones and not memorials. Private monuments usually express the name, dates of birth and death and perhaps a short epitaph and little more about the individual.
Memorials celebrate and honor the uniqueness of life, celebrating the characteristics of the individual and serving as a resource to not only honor the individual but to educate others both living as well as those who are not yet born.
I advocate the use of a Life History Plaque to memorialize the life and family history of a family’s loved ones. A $250 investment can serve as a testament that will be cherished through the ages and will turn the typical monument into a memorial that will serve to remind us and celebrate and honor our family history. This is much more to a memorial than a monument and Dr. King deserves to have many monuments and memorials to celebrate his profound positive influence on the moral compass of our nation and the world."
Share with us by emailing your thoughts to Burton@USAMonuments.com.
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
What Do You Expect In A Website?
As you view www.USAMonuments.com or www.ValdostaMemorials.com, please take a few moments to bookmark our site so you can locate us in the future. Also, please provide us with feedback on our site and express your likes and your dislikes. You can email me directly at Burton@USAMonuments.com or you may call me toll free at 888.978.2883.
Unlike most monument companies, we import products directly and we also serve an international clientele. We have clients from throughout the United States and other countries with a growing list of satisfied clients.
We hope you enjoy our selection of products. We are diversifying and in the future we will be opening up a stone products company named www.InternationalHouseOfStone.com. Under whatever name you may know us, we hope you will visit often as we are a dynamic organization focused more on the present and future than on the past as so many of our competitors seem to be. With your support and assistance we will continue to be in the vanguard of companies totally committed to our client's satisfaction.
Unlike most monument companies, we import products directly and we also serve an international clientele. We have clients from throughout the United States and other countries with a growing list of satisfied clients.
We hope you enjoy our selection of products. We are diversifying and in the future we will be opening up a stone products company named www.InternationalHouseOfStone.com. Under whatever name you may know us, we hope you will visit often as we are a dynamic organization focused more on the present and future than on the past as so many of our competitors seem to be. With your support and assistance we will continue to be in the vanguard of companies totally committed to our client's satisfaction.
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