Pre-Planning For the Future, Now

Louise trembled as she listened to her best friend Brenda tell her that Brenda's mother had just died. She had been in a head-on car collision on her way to a Chamber meeting. It was a shock; Brenda needed her, could she help her go through some files? Brenda didn't know what her Mom had pre-arranged, if any, or what funeral home to call, or what cemetery she wanted to be buried in. It was all so dreadful and overwhelming. Louise gathered herself together and immediately drove to Brenda's house. Together they cried and than began to search for the documents.

By the end of the day, Louise and Brenda found every document they needed. At the back of the house in a roll top desk in a file labeled, "Funeral Arrangements," they discovered that Brenda's Mom had her wishes written down. She had even left a letter detailing her burial outfit. She noted that she wanted all the mourners to sing the National Anthem when they were at the cemetery for the burial. Louise and Brenda laughed at this request thinking it was a bit odd, but not that unusual, given her sense of patriotism about this country. She wanted white lilies to be placed over her simple oak casket. She wanted Brenda to wear her great grandmother's wedding ring, and diamond heart pendant, both of which were to eventually be passed down to Brenda's children.

Brenda hadn't realized all that was necessary to prepare for a funeral and it was overwhelming given the raw emotions she was experiencing. She was grateful that her friend Louise was by her side, and the fact that her Mom had been so deliberate and detailed about her desires. Memorializing her Mom in ways that honored her wishes was made easier knowing what her Mom had wanted. It somehow made the days leading up to the funeral less stressful. Brenda was sure, as well, that she would feel more peaceful in the days after the funeral because all had been carried out exactly as her mother had wanted.