Tag Archives: end-of-life

The Shift From Burials To Cremation In Western Culture

How journalist Jessica Mitford helped spark a cultural shift in our end-of-life practices

A popular joke goes a little something like this: one fish swims up to another fish and asks, “How’s the water?” The other fish responds, “What the hell is water?” David Foster Wallace and Derek Sivers have used this joke … Continue reading

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Smoke Gets In Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty

A young woman's funny, heartfelt memoir of working as a mortician and revolutionizing how we think of death

From her opening line “A girl always remembers the first corpse she shaves,” I could tell this isn’t your run-of-the-mill memoir. Caitlin Doughty’s Smoke Gets In Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory is at once laugh-out-loud funny and … Continue reading

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Easing into the End of Life

Where does the US stand on the subject of death, dying and comprehensive end of life care?

People like to know what’s ahead. Yet, life is unpredictable. Perhaps one of the reasons death, something natural and something we all share, is still tainted with fear. How do you plan and prepare for an experience filled with uncertainty? … Continue reading

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Goodbye, Black: The Color-Coordinated Memorial Service Attire

Personalize an end-of-life or memorial ceremony by wearing your loved one's favorite color

A Colorful Celebration of Life Ceremony: The Victorian Era has been over for some time. Its tradition of wearing somber, formal black funeral attire to memorial and funeral services, however, is still the norm yet is starting to fade. A … Continue reading

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Planning for End of Life: Final Care After Death

Planning for death is overwhelming. We asked home funeral professional Sally Shannon for insight into your after-death options.

3 Tips for Understanding Your After-Death Options: One of the most important things to consider during your end of life planning is the final care you will receive after death. Home funeral expert Sally Shannon gave us a few tips … Continue reading

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”Let life be beautiful like summer flowers and death like autumn leaves.”

-Rabindranath Tagore

More from A Rite of Passage: Memorial Music: “The Show Must Go On” by Queen Memorial Music: “Dreams Old Men Dream” by the Cold War Kids Memorial Music: “Will You Miss Me when I’m Gone?” by The Carter Family

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