Although unique funerals
continue to increase in popularity, cremation is definitely in the mainstream
these days as a method of body disposal. People are finding interesting ways to
dispose ashes or cremains of loved ones.
Traditionally, cremains are
often stored by families who keep them in urns and other containers that vary
in their uniqueness. These may include vases with pedestals or even
personalized teddy bears with hidden pouches. Teddy bears can be sewn from the
deceased person’s clothes. Among other uses, cremains are being used in
jewelry, shotgun shells, and fireworks. In terms of destinations, cremains can
be stored in cemetery plots, mausoleum, or scattered in a garden or body of
water. For $5,300 cremains can be sent aloft into outer space, while $13,000
can send them into luna orbit.
One research study on
cremation focused on how 87 people described their experiences with cremation,
cremains disposal, and rituals regarding
their deceased loved ones. How did they view the experience? They felt
the experiences were positive. Most research participants preferred to be
cremated and honored through nontraditional rituals themselves.
With so many choices
available, people should make plans in advance regarding disposal of their
cremains if they choose to be cremated. In this video titled Scattering
Parents’ Ashes, a daughter fulfills
her deceased parents’ dream of world travel. View the unusual way she
accomplishes this that includes many other people. If you choose to be
cremated, what would you want to happen to your cremains after death?
Frances Shani Parker,
Author
Becoming Dead Right: A Hospice Volunteer in Urban Nursing Homes is available in paperback at many booksellers in America and other countries and in e-book form at
Amazon and Barnes and Noble booksellers.
