mental health

How to Order a Cremation Urn Online and Have Peace of Mind

January 31, 2014 urngarden.com

In today’s economy everything is shaky at best, just like life. Erratic and day to day. Families that are facing difficult decisions and having to juggle the checkbook to cover a funeral will often turn to the internet to get information if the answers are not available at the funeral home. They are looking for affordable memorial options and will decide to buy online. Here’s some tips:

What Are Your Options?

Ask your funeral director what your options are for cremation urns and memorial services. The funeral director is in the business to serve the families and if you will open up and have the conversation you may find the answers to creating your perfect memorial. If you have specific ideas let them know. Decide what you can spend and stick to it. Is the family pooling resources to help pay for the service? If so, decide who is going to pay for what purchases. You can break it up into manageable segments among the family and not go broke.

For instance, the cremation urn. If you didn’t find what you like at the funeral home and decide to check your options on the web, you’ll find many styles that your funeral director can order, or you if you feel up to it you can order the urn direct off the website.

Who Pays the Bill?

Decide who’s paying for it, that’s the information you need to start with and then you’ll need to supply the billing information. The zip code must match for credit card statement for the credit card to clear. Next, decide where the urn will be shipped. We can ship directly to the mortuary or crematorium. Need the urn to arrive by a guaranteed date for the funeral? Then you need to provide a good phone and number and contact. We’re starting to see more orders come in on tablet and phones and the accuracy level can be diminished, with increased typos. Double check your shipping information to make sure you’ve typed it in correctly and leave a good phone number for the lead person handling this order.

Delivery

Keep in mind to expedite your delivery, most of the urns are left without a signature. Some of the jewelry and premium bronze do require a signature and we’ll always let you know when and if this is the case. If leaving a package at your residence without a signature is an issue, consider a secure alternate address to ship to.

Cremation often allows the family a little more flexibility with time constraints, but if you are in a hurry to receive the urn, it’s a good idea to call ahead and make sure the urn is available for immediate shipment and check transit times if needed. We can help smooth the way for a seamless transaction and delivery during a difficult time.

Flying with Ashes From Cremation

June 30, 2013 urngarden.com

If you’ve ever needed to take cremated remains on a commercial flight, there are a few things to keep in mind. Flying across the country or to the other side of the world isn’t what it used to be. Airport screenings and airline regulations can make even the simplest flights overwhelming. So it’s best to prepare yourself and understand all the issues involved when flying with ashes from a loved one’s cremation.

Depending on the airline, travelers may place a container of cremated remains inside checked luggage, although there is the chance of it getting lost or damaged. Also, keep in mind, this method will add additional weight, sometimes up to an extra 10-15 pounds.

However, according to the Transportation Security Administration, if you carry ashes on board, the container is subject to screening and must pass through the x-ray machine. All the major airlines have protocol for handling of cremated remains and are listed on their websites. It’s in your best interest to look up the requirements to minimize your stress level at the airport.

If the TSA operator cannot approve the container, other non-intrusive procedures are applied. However, if the urn still cannot be cleared, it will not be allowed on board. TSA workers are not allowed to open the ashes’ container, even if the consumer allows it. Even documentation from the funeral home working with the family is not sufficient.

So what can consumers do to make this process go smoother? The TSA recommends transporting the cremains in a light-weight plastic or wood container for ashes, typically provided by a funeral home. Once consumers reach their destination, they can have the ashes removed from the temporary container to a permanent one by one of the TSA’s Funeral Home Partners. This is a complimentary service.

Most funeral homes will do the transfer of ashes without being a TSA partner. We recommend contacting a funeral provider at your destination to inquire about this service. It’s becoming very common now and not an unusual request.

Making Amends With My Father

June 15, 2013 urngarden.com

On this Father’s Day weekend, my father is much on my mind — oddly, because that wasn’t the case when he was among the breathing, and I haven’t thought much about him since his death, seven years ago this month.

Last month I wrote:

He was sensitive, almost to a fault. He was caring and giving. He was cold and unyielding. He was a charmer and a cruel man, heartfelt and heartless.

I pulled out this photo, this memento mori, for a couple reasons. It is the only picture I have of my father and the three sons he had with my mother; my father’s wife pulled out her camera not long after we had all arrived and said, “This will be the last time you boys are together with your daddy.”

If I do not understand him or make my peace with him I’ll be stranded in the thorny forest and the boon will elude me. This I know for certain…

About the author: Ron Davis is a writer and news producer and resides in Springfield, MO.

Surviving Mother’s Day When You’ve Lost a Child

May 12, 2013 urngarden.com

A few years ago one of my friends attended her 22 year old sons’ funeral on Mother’s Day. She still has not recovered and as you can imagine Mother’s Day is a difficult day.

She had high hopes for her son, so smart and handsome. But the last few years, he had been in and out of rehab and was in the process of completing treatment that spring. The facility was out of state and when in contact with his mother he sounded bright about his future and looked forward to coming home and working in the family business. A fresh start.

He never left town. Instead, his mother received the phone call that no one wants. Her son’s body had been discovered in a known drug house and arrangements needed to be made to bring him home. My friend was shattered and broken. Physically, she’s a strong woman and during this terrible time she could barely stand.

When I saw her a year later she said she was day to day and realized that she would never understand the power of addiction. She needed to remain strong not only for herself, but for the rest of her family. She’s more spiritual than religious and practices healthy eating and vigorous exercise which helped move her through the stages of grief and to realize that she couldn’t save her son. She couldn’t make every choice for this young man. He chose to go to that bad neighborhood. He chose to get high instead of getting on the plane to come home. The family had supported him and provided the tools and resources to help which makes it an even more bitter pill to swallow. A memorial service for your son on Mother’s Day? Does not compute.

Everyday Heros

April 19, 2013 urngarden.com

This week’s bombings in Boston, Massachusetts, are a grizzly yet unfortunate reminder that awful things can and do happen in this world. But, it is also an indication that although there are bad or mean-spirited people, there are also overwhelmingly more kind and gentle-hearted ones.

Many stories are coming out of this Boston Marathon tragedy; a lot of them sad and unfathomable. There are, however, multiple tales of heroism, Good Samaritans, and amazing human nature.

Dr. Vivek Shah, an orthopedic surgeon from New England Baptist Hospital in Massachusetts, was close to completing the 26.2-mile run when the two bombs went off. Fearing for his family waiting for him at the finish line, he sprinted toward them until he realized what he was running into. Described as a “war zone,” Dr. Shah stopped to administer emergency care to whomever needed it. It didn’t matter that he was exhausted from running the race. He just knew he had to step in and help until emergency personnel came. He later found his family safe.

Persian Gulf War veteran, U.S. Army Officer Bruce Mendelsohn, was another every day hero who jumped in to help when and where it was needed after the blasts. While enjoying a post-race party nearby, he rushed down to the scene to offer assistance after hearing the bombs detonate. Without giving his own well-being a second thought, he went into action assisting the wounded. He said his Army training “kicked in” along with his desire to help.

That’s the thing with tragedies such as this. They may scare and even anger people, but it won’t stop them from banning together to help out their fellow men or women. We’ve seen it on September 11, 2001, again during Hurricane Katrina, and now during the Boston Marathon. Many prayers and healing thoughts go out to the victims and families affected by this disaster.