Bible Verse of the Month
Therefore I say unto you,
Take no thought for your life,
what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink;
nor yet for your body,
what ye shall put on.
Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
Matthew 6:25
Who Should Be Invited To A Funeral?
This is a lot like asking “who should be invited to a wedding?” People who would want to be there. A person’s role at a funeral is two-fold: one, they are there to demonstrate support for the bereaved family; two, funeral guests are there to tend to their own sorrow; to begin to come to terms, in the safety of a shared collective experience, with the death of someone they held dear. While it’s not common to send out invitations to a funeral (generally, the service details are published in the newspaper or online, and those who wish to attend, do) it does make a certain amount of sense to reach out to certain individuals by phone, email, or social media to ensure they are aware of the service date/time (and express your desire for their presence). When preparing the guest list for a funeral service, you should both listen to your heart and use common sense.
You know the people who mattered most to your loved one, as well as those who mattered least. Whatever you do, don’t invite more people than the venue can comfortably handle.
Courtesy of the Anderson Stevenson Wilke Funeral Home
Horse Drawn Hearse
May was the month of the world-renowned annual Bucking Horse Sale (BHS) held in Miles City, Montana. This exciting and popular event was cancelled last year, much to the disappointment of many around the world. This year, however, BHS was back – and boy did it come back in a big way. Huge attendance, lots of events, lots of participants and a great Home Show – hosted in the huge, brand new Event Center. One of the highlights of BHS is the Main Street Parade. Stevenson & Sons Funeral Home in Miles City was there in a big way – they hooked up a couple of their magnificent Clydesdales to their antique hearse and joined the long line of entertaining parade participants. Here are two photos of the antique, horse-drawn hearse taken while it was in the parade. The hearse is still requested for use in funeral processions.
Planning
Planning a funeral alone can become quite overwhelming; however, please rest assured that we are here to help you every step of the way.
We will answer your questions and offer reassurance as you embark on this emotional journey.
Our professional experience and training, together with our own personal experiences, means that we understand what you are going through and will make the process as smooth as possible.
At all of the Stevenson & Sons Funeral Homes, we believe a funeral is a time to honor the life of the deceased and celebrate the heritage of the family. It is an important time for relatives and friends to gather, tell stories, acknowledge loss, and support each other.
It would be our greatest privilege to help you prepare a respectful, fulfilling experience that meets the individual needs of your family and your loved ones.
We pride ourselves on giving the very best service to the families that we serve. We strive to:
- Replace confusion with calm
- Add certainty to doubt
- Provide answers to questions
- Create a fitting memorial for your loved one
Time With Friends
There’s something very special about spending time with friends. The physical greetings, the sharing, the catching-up, the joy, the strength it brings – it’s almost magical. Just being with those special people who we have built relationships with over the years produces in each of us an extraordinary energy and strength. Being with good friends is not like being with family, but the experience is no less potent at all. Montana offers people many unique and wonderful events to share with family and good friends. After all, it is the sharing of our experiences that makes them more powerful – and completes them. One of Montana’s grandest events is the annual Bucking Horse Sale – the photos above were taken during this year’s Bucking Horse Sale Parade. The Bucking Horse Sale started bringing friends and families together from around the globe back in 1951, and is considered one of the country’s trendsetting rodeo events. Today, the Bucking Horse Sale has grown into so much more than just a rodeo, and it brings together more families and friends than anyone could have imagined back in 1951. We hope that the following brief video of Bucking Horse Sale highlights brings a smile to your face – and encourages you to get out and enjoy life with your friends. Your shared experiences will be nourishment for the soul and the psyche.
Grief Support
Many people do not have the time to locate a proper grief counselor. Others do not live in an area where there are any grief counselors available. And finally, many people are not prepared to pay a professional for grief counseling. Fortunately, the internet provides some solutions for those who wish to seek grief counseling or to interact with groups of people who are also coping with grief. Many such services exist, as do professional counselors who will assist people privately on line, hence eliminating the need for travel. Not all services are the same, nor are all chat rooms/groups. You should research what you are interested in and follow-up on the leads you believe will be most helpful to your personal situation until you locate exactly what works best for you. In your search engine look for terms like “grief chat rooms” “bereavement support groups” “professional grief counseling” or “grief management.” Good research is the path to successfully linking up with what, or who, will work the best for you. Another option would be to start your search at the Mental Health American website. Lots of information, and many places to research groups, centers and more.
Supporting Others
If you know someone who would benefit from the uplifting messages and support information we provide in these monthly newsletters, they can sign up to receive their own copy here (https://stevensonandsons.com/news/sign-up/). It’s a great way to lend your support to a friend or a family member.
