Dear Judy,
I read you online quite a lot and sometimes like what you say.
Here’s a question. Our church has a pretty healthy congregation, about 500 or so members. Most of them come at least twice a month, which is okay by me. I’m not a hell-fire clergyman.
But we have some I don’t know at all, [...]
I can’t resist. My friend Josh Slocum, the brilliant head of the consumer-friendly Funeral Consumers Alliance (www.funerals.com ), has written a wise and sensible blog on mapping out — or rather not mapping out — your own funeral. And I couldn’t resist borrowing it today. Here’s what Josh has to say:
“In my experience. those who [...]
About once every week, I get an email from a checkoutline.org visitor who wants to know how little one can pay to get a great (or at least a passable) send-off.
What, in other words, does a funeral cost — if cost is an issue? And these days it seems cost is a big issue. And [...]
Dear Judy,
What do I wear to the funeral of my late boss? He was an out-and-out pig, and I hated him. Part of me wants to wear tight silver lame with matching sandals or a long bosom-baring red gown with bugle beads.
The rest of me thinks maybe this is not such a good idea. In fact maybe [...]
How do you make certain your last wishes about how — and where– you want your funeral and burial to be conducted are implemented? How to make sure no one spends a fortune (or at least not more than you’ve planned) for the ceremony? And that everyone you love knows where you’ve stashed the cash [...]
Dear Judy,
Maybe you get other emails like this, I don’t know. What advice do you have for overcoming the emotional barriers to planning for one’s own demise? Especially when you are feeling healthy and vibrant (even if I do have a few grey hairs…)
I am 44. I find discussing issues relating to my own death [...]
Naturally, we’re all looking for ways to acquire happy endings. To most people this means not dying. Or maybe dying very, very old and only in our sleep. However, in California, the home of happy endings, three entrepreneurial spirits (among them a notary and the owner of the Steward-Pearce Mortuary in Long Beach) managed to make a bundle [...]
Dear Judy,
My son is almost three. His father, from whom I was separated, died just 2 days ago after a construction site accident left him brain dead. He was in the ICU on life support for a few days, so I’ve had time to think, and while I can’t pretend to be devastated, I am going to the [...]
My initial reaction to home funerals, when I first heard about them was simple, direct, and pretty infantile: Yuck.
But over the last year, especially since I”ve been exposed to the horrifying practices of certain funeral directors, I’ve learned better. About the strongest and most compelling case for doing it yourself was made in this month’s issue [...]
Dear Judy,
I’m 16. My father said I should write you. My grandfather died last night, and I don’t want to go to his funeral which will be in a few days. My father says I have to.
I don’t see why. My grandfather was a real racist. It used to embarrass me when he talked. He [...]
Welcome to theCheckoutLine.org
Posted on January 24th, 2009