My grandmother was a planner. When she hosted the annual family Christmas party, she had everything perfectly arranged from the venue, to the flowers, to the holiday toast. I still remember the one year that she did not host the annual Christmas party for our friends and family. Everyone wondered what we would do for the holidays!
When she died a few years ago, it was no surprise that she had already made the arrangements for her funeral in advance. Although my grandmother lived until 101 years old, I think about how different it would have been if she had not pre-planned her funeral arrangements. As the youngest child, my father was her last living son and he had to take care of everything. I have never seen my father so upset. He was dealing with the loss of his mother and taking care of funeral arrangements was the last thing he needed to worry about as he mourned her death.
Planning ahead can make all the difference.
After my grandmother died, my father looked for the information he needed to pre-plan his own funeral arrangements. This Free Funeral Planning Guide from Skylawn funeral home, is a great resource to help you share your end-of-life wishes with your loved ones and ensure that your funeral will truly reflect your life.
Save time and money.
The other reason it is important to pre-plan for your funeral arrangements is that you can protect your loved ones from inflation by locking in today’s prices for the funeral you truly want. Your expenses will be taken care of when you need them to be, which is a huge relief.
Eliminate stress for your loved ones
Not long ago, my father, who was in his 60’s, asked me and my husband to come over to review his own estate and funeral plans. Talking about death is a hard topic, especially with your parents as you do not want to think about them dying. My father told me how he felt when his own mother passed and how happy he was that she had made her funeral arrangements in advance. He wanted to prearrange everything so that he could alleviate the stress and burden for his loved ones and prevent us from having to make tough decisions at an already difficult time for them. He shared that he bought a plot for himself and my mother at the funeral home next to his own mother and father.
Choose a natural beauty and feng shui surroundings.
Skylawn is a place like no other. The funeral home is uniquely situated atop the Montara mountain range with expansive and unobstructed views of the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, offering unparalleled Feng Shui. It is a state-of-the-art facility with large chapels, visitation rooms, and a vista reception room that opens to a beautiful patio area with rock garden and waterfall.
As someone that always looks for the perfect venue, I could not imagine something more beautiful than Skylawn for a funeral.
Designed by noted San Francisco landscape architects French and Jones, Skylawn Memorial Park was built on over 134 acres and has expanded to more than 500 acres since its opening in 1959. It is surrounded by a wildlife preserve, meaning that Skylawn’s vast beauty will remain unspoiled for generations.
Personalize your funeral service.
Now, as I listened to my father share his funeral wishes, I thought of my own child. Although I am only in my 30’s, if something happened to me, I would want to be prepared for my son. I like to think that I am a lot like my grandmother, always planning, and I believe that death is a natural part of life.
Remember, it is your funeral, so celebrate your life, your way. When you know what your loved one would want, you are going to save yourself time and money. You will not have to plan a meaningful funeral while you are trying to mourn the death of your loved one. It is empowering to know your loved one’s wishes so you can focus on sharing their legacy. When you pre-plan, you will have time to think of the little things for your funeral – everything from the venue, to the flowers, to the eulogies.
Although it is difficult to talk about our final wishes, I believe it is important to have these difficult conversations. Pre-planning your funeral arrangements also provide a unique opportunity to learn more about your loved ones.
By talking to my father about his own wishes, I was able to learn more about what is important to him, and he can take comfort in knowing that his end-of-life expectations will be met.
Skylawn is an all-in-one funeral home, memorial park and crematory.
Known for its dignity, peace, and serenity, Skylawn is a full-service facility offering the one-stop convenience of an expansive funeral home, cemetery, and on-site crematory. Skylawn is also very culturally diverse and they have many ethnic and cultural events open to everyone. Inside the park are beautifully landscaped gardens, with several set aside for specific cultural and community groups, including two remarkable Chinese gardens developed to the exact specifications of international Feng Shui masters.
If you want to learn how to pre-plan your funeral, download this Free Funeral Planning Guide by Skylawn.
“This post was sponsored by Skylawn. All opinions are my own.”