Funeral memorials may seem predictable, at least from an American perspective. Here in the U.S., planning a funeral involves finding a suitable church or other location, writing a eulogy, inviting guests and selecting a funeral plot, among other common practices.
Whether you have firm opinions on what type of funeral service you’d like or what medical treatment you want to receive in your final days, it’s important to communicate your desires to your family sooner rather than later. Waiting for the unforeseen to happen means you risk leaving your loved ones to make difficult decisions in the midst of their pain and grief.
Making end-of-life arrangements is a hard thing to do. We would rather not think about our death or the death of a loved one. However, not planning ahead can make a hard, emotional time unnecessarily stressful and expensive.
A long, drawn out death can be very draining on the family of the loved one passing away. All parties involved can and probably will feel both emotionally and physically exhausted by the time the person has passed. But being aware of your own impending death does have a benefit –being able to pre-plan the funeral or memorial process. Planning a funeral takes a lot of time, focus, and attention, and trying to plan one immediately after the death will only add unnecessary stress to an already difficult time. Pre-planning your own funeral may seem grim and upsetting, but it is far easier for your friends and family than trying to make arrangements when the grief of your passing has just set in.
