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Archive for May, 2010

KEEP YOUR LOVED ONES MEMORIES ALIVE WITH CREMATION JEWELRY

May 31st, 2010

Often our world comes to an end when we realize that our loved one has departed. The more we long for comfort, the harder it is to find. In this situation, Cremation jewelry offers the comfort that cannot be found anywhere else. A memoir or a keepsake is often the best way to have a concrete remembrance of the departed soul. Whenever the bereaved feel or extreme loneliness surpasses your emotions, you can hold the memoir close to your heart. You can feel the eternal presence of your loved ones.

Though it is not possible to breathe new life into some one who has passed away, carrying a piece of that person with you everyday brings the much needed solace. Urn jewelry hung close to one’s heart eases a lot of pain and brings some peace to a grief-stricken person. Besides, it is also helpful in finding the path to closure for moving ahead after a loss. Wearing the jewelry also allows you to treasure those precious moments that you once shared with a loved one. Cremation urn jewelry enables you to keep loved ones close to your heart both physically and spiritually.

Cremation urn jewelry following cremation services is a kind of keepsake jewelry that allows you to hold a small part of the remains of your loved one. Generally, a small compartment is filled with the ashes of some one who has departed. The ashes can be stored in a sealed compartment of the jewelry. It is a physical reminder that can be carried as a beautiful commemorative piece.

Cremation urn jewelry offers you an alternative to honor the life of your deceased loved ones. Moreover, you can keep the jewelry close to you or display the remains in an attractive container. This new jewelry has been increasingly popular among those who have experienced a loss. It comes in different varieties from pendants, bracelets, rings and pins. They are as stylish as any other jewelry pendant. However, the most popular and meaningful design is an urn pendant.

In contrast to the regular cremation urns, the jewelry can be kept private and concealed without anyone knowing what it is. Find a design that corresponds to the true nature of your loved ones. Gold and silver urn pendants are available in different themes, from personally significant or modern designs to sea creatures. Cremation urn jewelry is available in different materials such as brass, pewter, and various precious gems incorporated on them.

Cremation urn jewelry enables you to pay tribute to your loved ones. It is a constant reminder of his/her significance in your life.

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Remember, Cremation Options is here to help you all day, every day with your funeral and cremation needs. We’re open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To contact us, simply call 1-877-989-9090. At any time of day or night, you will be able to speak with one of our trained, sympathetic and understanding representatives.

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CREMATION SERVICES:TREASURING THE MEMORY OF SOMEONE SPECIAL

May 28th, 2010

The practice of cremating a deceased person has existed for centuries. After cremation services, the ashes of the deceased were stored in urns. At some point in time, cremation was restricted to the affluent sections of our society. However, in the present time it is an environmentally viable and popular choice. In addition, many people are also looking for ways to preserve the memoirs of a deceased loved one. Often, people look for ways to keep the memories of a loved one close to the heart and alive in their mind.

Cremation jewelry provides you comfort by maintaining a physical connection with the loved one. A few people find solace in holding the ashes of a loved one close to their heart. Displaying a cremation memento as a memorial to a loved one or wearing an ash pendant is personal. It is definitely a better alternative than visiting a columbarium or gravesite. Often, families can share the ashes and get an appropriate piece of jewelry for each member. This allows you to memorialize the deceased. Extremely small quantities of ashes are placed within a sealed compartment in the jewelry.

When majority of the people think about cremation jewelry, they visualize ash pendants worn in the form of cremation necklaces. While it is true that most pieces of cremation jewelry fit the description, other forms of memorial jewelry are also available that are discreet and attractive. Cremation necklaces remain the most attractive form of jewelry. Not only does it adorn your neck, but also helps in maintaining a connection with a departed loved one. Generally, any piece of jewelry includes a small compartment that holds a small quantity of cremated ashes.

Depending upon the selected style, the ashes could be shown or hidden inside the jewelry. These pieces of jewelry could be cremation necklaces, pins and bracelets. The cremated ashes could also be incorporated into crystals and displayed in an extensive array of sizes and colors.

There can be many varieties of cremation necklaces. Select a distinct design, shape and size according to your choice. Moreover, the availability of different designs allows you to have a plethora of options to choose from.

Gold and silver necklaces are available in all themes. The pendant of your necklace can also take several distinct shapes. Your necklace need not be made of something as costly as gold or silver. Instead you can also opt for some cost-effective options. When the jewelry is worn discreetly, it looks as beautiful as any other necklace worn for fashion!

Get free articles in various topic for your website or blog content as much as you want at Article Directory: http://www.articlecompilation.com

Remember, Cremation Options is here to help you all day, every day with your funeral and cremation needs. We’re open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To contact us, simply call 1-877-989-9090. At any time of day or night, you will be able to speak with one of our trained, sympathetic and understanding representatives.

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CREMATION JEWELRY HOLDS MORE THAN ASHES

May 27th, 2010

Cremation jewelry was designed as a miniature cremation urn with a hollow chamber to hold a bit of ashes from a loved one’s cremation. The original idea was to allow one or more family members to keep a physical part of their loved one close at heart, regardless of how the rest of the cremated remains would be disposed of or how many family members wanted to share the ashes. The ash pendant could then be worn as an urn pendant or displayed beneath a jeweler’s glass dome to create a personal memorial.

For any number of reasons, however, jewelry for ashes doesn’t appeal to some people. Some are opposed to cremation in general, while others just don’t like the idea of reserving cremated remains in the form of jewelry. Perhaps you belong to a church that prohibits the practice of cremation, or maybe your religion has strict rules about the disposition of ashes. Even so, cremation jewelry still affords an opportunity to honor your loved one in a unique and personal way.

Cremation jewelry isn’t just jewelry for ashes. The hollow chamber in every urn pendant can accommodate any small keepsake to remind you of your loved one. Following are some of the mementoes people choose to save in their cremation necklaces.

A Lock of Hair
A lock of a loved one’s hair is a special keepsake indeed. If you’re a parent, you may have kept a snip of hair from your child’s first haircut to remind you of the tiny baby you once held in your arms. And lovers throughout history have kept wisps of each other’s hair to help them feel close when they were apart. The hair of fallen soldiers was fashioned into the memorial jewelry that was popular during the Civil War. Place a lock of your loved one’s hair in your urn pendant for safekeeping.

Soil
The time-honored practice of “paying respects” to a deceased loved one with regular visits to his or her grave is less common today, as fewer and fewer family members are centrally located in the home town. Whether you live near your loved one’s burial place or far away, you can use your cremation jewelry to save a few grains of earth from the grave site.

Funeral Flowers
The outpouring of sympathy following the death of a loved one often includes floral gifts in a variety of colors, species, and arrangements. Flowers are a fragrant reminder of the nature of life - rich, beautiful, and fleeting. By drying some of the flowers after the funeral, you can preserve their colorful beauty. Once the flowers are dry, you can crumble a pinch of the petals into the chamber of your cremation keepsake pendant.

Get free articles in various topic for your website or blog content as much as you want at Article Directory: http://www.articlecompilation.com

Remember, Cremation Options is here to help you all day, every day with your funeral and cremation needs. We’re open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To contact us, simply call 1-877-989-9090. At any time of day or night, you will be able to speak with one of our trained, sympathetic and understanding representatives.

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CREMATION & A GRIEVING PERSON’S BILL OF RIGHTS

May 27th, 2010

If you are in the middle of grieving the loss of someone close to you, you don’t need a booklet to tell you that you are going through a difficult time. You don’t need someone else to tell you that your pain may at times feel overwhelming. Yet precisely because you are having a difficult time it is likely that you are not getting everything you need to help you move through this season of grief. And you may not even be aware of the kinds of things you have a right to experience and express and to expect of others during this difficult time.

Grieving well is an active process and it takes a lot of work. Here are some things you can consider your “rights” as you do the work of grieving.

YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO TAKE YOUR TIME

Things move quickly in our society from fast food to instant internet access. Grieving however takes time. Some people need more time than others to honor the process of grieving-lots more time. If you are one of those people take that time. You may have to tend to responsibilities at work and to family members or perhaps you have to deal with settling the affairs of the loved one who has died. But you still are a person in grief. Don’t feel obliged to “get over it” just because others don’t understand or share your loss or because they mistakenly believe that you should be able to get on with your life in a time frame that is convenient for them.

YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO EXPRESS YOUR EMOTIONS

There is no one right way to grieve. And the process of grieving involves a wide variety of experiences and emotions that my include depression, anxiety, anger, disappointment and more. Professionals who specialize in working with grieving people suggest that it is helpful to have someone who can truly listen to you as you tell the stories of your loss. This can be a good friend, a counselor, or pastoral minister-anyone who has the ability to give you the full attention you need at this time. You may also want to express yourself in writing or music, or by creating some kind of tribute to the one who has died. Whatever your loss, you may notice feelings of anger surfacing from time to time, or even quite frequently. It is perfectly normal to feel this way, especially if your loss was sudden or the result of violence or if you have unfinished business with the one who has died. Sometimes we just feel cheated out of more time with our loved one. In any case you may be confused about what to do with your anger. When it comes to expressing anger, many of us lack good role models. We may have been told that anger is not “nice” and that we should stuff it. Or perhaps we’ve seen what badly expressed anger and rage can do to people (broken relationships, domestic violence, road rage, etc.) and have concluded that it might be better not to give our own anger too much attention. Yet ignoring anger doesn’t make it go away, at least not for long. You owe it to your spiritual and mental health to look for ways and places to express your anger that are safe and appropriate both for you and for others. Sometimes writing your feelings out in letter or journal format is a good option. Other times talking with a friend or a counselor is the way to go. Some people find it helpful to physically release the energy of their anger through vigorous exercise or by doing some manual labor. Whatever option you choose, most people find they feel much better when they get the anger out in a healthy, non destructive way rather than hold it in.

“Hope is hearing the melody of the future; faith is dancing to it today.”

YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF

A grieving person is more likely than others to become ill because of the toll the stress places on the body. Do your very best to take care of yourself by getting plenty of rest, eating well and exercising. Treat yourself to a massage or a soak in a hot bathtub. Keep fresh flowers in your house and drink plenty of water or herbal teas. Avoid medicating your pain with pills or heavy drinking. Not only will your body become more stressed by drinking or using drugs, you will only postpone working through your loss until a later date, as well as create a whole new set of problems.

YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO TAKE TIME OUT

You have a right to-and very likely a need for -time to yourself and by yourself. This time may be difficult to come by if you are parenting children or if you have a demanding job. Get creative. After her father’s death, June decided to get up a half-hour earlier than she previously had in order to carve time out from her busy life as a homemaker and mother. She used the time to pray, to cry and to write out her feelings in a journal in order to honor the tremendous loss she had experienced. At some point you may feel the need to “take some time off” from your grieving. Go to a movie, hike in the woods, take a vacation. It’s OK and even helpful to care for yourself in this way. You are probably feeling out of balance, so taking a little breather may be just what you need. It doesn’t mean that you have forgotten your loved one and it is not “disrespectful” to the one who has died, to take some time out to rejuvenate. This is especially important if you were a caretaker during your loved one’s illness.

YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO EXPECT SUPPORT

Although your experience of grieving is uniquely yours, you do not have to go through it alone. Grief shared with others can actually bring people closer together. Accept offers of help from family and friends. Call a grief counselor at a funeral home or cremation services. If you don’t have much of an appetite right now, freeze the food that people drop off and warm it up when you are hungry and don’t feel like cooking. Let someone run errands for you and even do some cleaning if they offer. If you belong to a faith community you may have some built in support through a prayer group or support group. Let your community know what you need. Most of the time people are eager to help.

YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO HEAL AND TO TRUST AGAIN

You may feel as if that place inside you that aches for your loved one will never be the same again. And you are right about that. You will never be the same. But you can head from the pain of your loss. And you have a right to that healing. People sometimes feel guilty when they begin to feel better, mistakenly believing that if they give their pain, they give up their connection to the one who has died. But in reality you will always be connected to our dear ones. Those who have been a part of you will always be a part of you. Healing from the pain of your loss will allow you to treasure your memories with more smiles and fewer tears. You’ve been hurt, deeply. Perhaps the loss you have suffered was previously unimaginable to you. You are grieving, and may be wondering if you will ever feel “normal” or be able to believe that life is good again. Yet her you are in the process of surviving that loss. You can do it—really. Take inspiration from people you know who have made their way through grief and loss. Read stories or watch films about people who have not only survived but grown stronger and more compassionate as a result of deciding to believe in the power of hope, goodness and love. Look to spiritual traditions that point to the power of life and love which transcends all death. Notice that winter always precedes spring. Pray from that place deep inside you that hasn’t forgotten the truth that life is ultimately good and worthy of your trust.

Remember, Cremation Options is here to help you all day, every day with your funeral and cremation needs. We’re open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To contact us, simply call 1-877-989-9090. At any time of day or night, you will be able to speak with one of our trained, sympathetic and understanding representatives.

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CREMATION & ACCEPTING YOUR SORROW LETTING GRIEF TAKE ITS COURSE

May 26th, 2010

As she offered her condolences at my mother’s wake, my next-door neighbor said to me, “it will get better…and then it will get worse.” She knew what I was going through -her own mother had died a year earlier…but at that time, I thought it was a strange comment. A year later I realized it had been a very wise one.

WORKING YOUR WAY THROUGH

“The measure of your grief is the measure of your love,” it has been said. And it’s true—while we may sympathize deeply the passing of people whom we haven’t known and loved. Yet despite the natural connection between the depth of our love and the intensity of our grief, we can be caught off guard by the persistence of grief. A year or two passes perhaps many years go by-and yet we still feel our loss, at times keenly. Is there something wrong with us?, we may secretly wonder. Popular culture can lead us to believe that we should have “moved on” by now, “gotten over it,” and “gotten on with life.” But our grieving is part of our life, not something removed from it. And there is nothing wrong with allowing grief its time. Just as love takes time to grow, grief takes its time. Just as love takes time to grow, grief takes time to diminish. Whether you are grieving for a loved one who has died, or some other great loss or setback, your sorrow needs to be given time to fully express itself.

DON’T GET OVER IT; RATHER GO THROUGH IT

There’s no way over, under or around grief. Much as we might like to avoid the pain, or be tempted to block it out or numb it with drugs, alcohol, over-working, overeating or otherwise avoiding it, none of this helps us heal. However when we allow ourselves simply to feel what we are feeling and experience what we are experiencing without “fight or flight,” we will notice a gradual change. Slowly the activity of grieving will evolve and be transformed into something closer to remembering and cherishing with gratitude—a warm comforting glow instead of a hot burning fire. But first we must allow sorrow the time and attention it requires. The good news is that over time grief will lose some of its ability to completely overwhelm us even though it may still do so from time to time. In respecting our grief and allowing it to take its course, we also allow ourselves to begin to heal. There is a light at the end of the tunnel!

HANG ON FOR THE RIDE

Grief expresses itself on many levels of our lives-emotional, physical, and spiritual. Each must play itself out of its own timeline. We are along for the ride, but are not helpless victims. Rather think of yourself as an attentive passenger on a long and at times uncomfortable journey you may not have signed up for but were booked on nonetheless. Be observant- there is much to learn along the way, about yourself and about life. For a time you will be on the emotional “high seas” and it’s a bumpy ride—one moment intense anger the next deep sorrow, the next terrifying fear. There is nothing you can do-or really need to do-but simply hang on and try to be observant. In its own time the sea will begin to calm, the waves to smooth out. The horizon ahead will even be smooth and clear from time to time.

BE GOOD TO YOURSELF—BODY AND SOUL

Pay attention to the way your grief expresses itself in your body through tension, restlessness, cramps, headaches. The best medicine is the oldest—good food, plenty of exercise, and lots of rest. In its own time your body will begin to adapt to the new reality you are living. In the meantime think of your body as your ally-giving you clear signals as to when you need to rest, when to move, when to eat. A good therapeutic massage can help you release some pent-up painful emotions. “Sorrow ends not when it seemeth done.” Remember that your spirit is grieving as well. Your trust in life and the goodness of god may have been shaken, perhaps even shattered by the circumstances surrounding your loved one’s death or another major life loss. The world may no longer seem a safe or good place. Mystics call it a “dark night of the soul.” You may well have to pass through some dark nights, but you do not have to pass through them alone, without the support of friends, family and faith community. Those who care about you cannot grieve for you, but they can light candles to help you find your way through the night, if you reach out to them. Whatever your own religious background, you can be confident that a loving god will stand by you in your loss. Try reaching out in prayer even if it needs to be angry prayer at times. Many have found great comfort in doing so.

GIVE YOUR GRIEF A WIDE BERTH

Grief comes in all sizes and shapes and just like physical objects our grief needs to consume a certain “space” in our lives. A former coworker of mine believed she was “too busy” to grieve so she plowed back into her demanding publishing job a week after her husband died. Two weeks later she was laid up in bed with pneumonia. Coincidence? Perhaps. But time and again those who grieve tell a similar story-how, when they tried to do an “end run” around their grief by staying extra busy, their body found a way to force them to stop running away. This is not to say you need to lie in bed for a week in order to grieve properly. Staying active is important and necessary. Perhaps the best advice of all is to avoid the extremes-either throwing yourself so completely into your work or family duties to effectively bury your grief, or pulling the covers over your head in utter resignation and giving up on life for good. As long as your strive for a balance and are patient with yourself your grief will find its proper time and space in your life.

MARK YOUR GRIEF

Cultures around the world and throughout history have found ways to memorialize grief by honoring their dead. From ancient Rome’s Parentalia, which honored departed ancestors, to the day of the dead, the modern Mexican tradition, to the Catholic Church’s all souls day, human beings have always intuitively understood the need for a time and place for a shared ritual of grieving and honoring our dearly departed. Unfortunately hard charging modern life leaves less and less time and space for these collective memorials. This does not mean you can’t continue to honor your loved one and recognize your own grief. You simply may need to be creative. Make an annual donation to your loved one’s favorite cause. Give a gift each holiday season in his name to someone in need. Create a garden memorial stocked with her favorite plants and flowers in your backyard. Create your own family “day of the dead,” on which you collectively visit the Gravesites of your ancestors with fresh flowers and other remembrances. Schedule some quiet time alone on important anniversaries and holidays. However you choose to ritually mark your grief it will allow for a softening of the repeated reminders of your loss, because now you will have a time and place where you can preserve them.

REDEFINE YOUR LIFE

While giving grief its due, remember that it does not have to become the defining quality of the rest of your life. Your life will always be a part of you, but it does not have to be all of you. It is okay to live, learn and love again. You can incorporate (literally, “take into your body”) your loss and use it to forge a new identity that helps you continue growing. Your faith tradition can be of assistance in this task by providing a context to help give meaning to loss, and the hope of an eternal connection of loved ones and the effort to learn new skills or meet new people can also help you move ahead- when the time is right. You’ll know when.

TAKE HEART

There’s no sense in sugarcoating it-grief is a painful process and it’s natural to wish it would pass sooner than it does. But by hanging in there for the long haul we gain lessons that would not have been possible if we had short circuited the process. One lesson gained is the incredible resilience of the human spirit even in the face of great hardship and loss. Another lesson learned is that when we give sorrow its due, sorrow returns the favor by giving us a precious gift-the assurance that we have indeed loved deeply in this lifetime—and that is, without a doubt one of life’s greatest achievements.

Remember, Cremation Options is here to help you all day, every day with your funeral and cremation needs. We’re open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To contact us, simply call 1-877-989-9090. At any time of day or night, you will be able to speak with one of our trained, sympathetic and understanding representatives.

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