Are You Planning The Funeral Of One Of Your Parents?

Has one of your parents recently died? Perhaps that leaves you without either parent or maybe you are fortunate enough to still have one of your parents. Besides grieving for the parent who raised you with an abundance of love, now you are facing the fact that you are expected to plan a funeral for that parent. From enlisting help from others in planning the funeral itself, here are some ideas that might help you.

Enlist Some Help - Are you feeling overwhelmed? Even though you are dealing with your own tender feelings at the loss of a beloved parent, you might also be facing other things that seem to be monumental. If that's true, consider getting some help from friends and other family members. For example, if your phone is ringing constantly with calls from well-wishers, think of asking one or two people to take turns manning your phone. Give them paper and a pen so that they can record everybody who calls.

The same is true with the constant gifts of food that friends and neighbors bring. Think of asking somebody to write down the name of the person who brought it, and to write down the food that person brought. Later you will be able to thank those who have reached out. And, think of asking that same person or somebody else to store the food for you, maybe freezing it to be used at a later date, or storing it for use when out-of-towners come to attend the funeral.

Plan The Funeral - If you have been able to enlist others to help you at your home, then you will be able to focus on planning the funeral service. Do you have siblings who can help you? Perhaps your mother or father had siblings or close friends that will want to take part in the service. Consider having a family meeting where you plan the funeral service together.

Decide if you want a minister to say the opening prayer and the benediction or if you want a family member or a friend to have that honor. Think of designating an individual to handle the music for you. Once you have chosen that person, of course you will want to have input on the music that will be a part of the service.

For example, you might know that your mother who passed away had a love for a special hymn. If so, include that hymn in the service. If your deceased father had a love of patriotic music, include that. Consider who would be best to give the eulogy and any other talks, too. If you have special stories to share, tell the speakers that you want to have those stories included. 

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