Bible Verse of the month
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
1 Corinthians 13:4
Suicide
The suicide rates in our country have, very sadly, risen to new highs. No state has been spared an unsettling uptick in the rates of suicides. Dealing with the causes, preventive actions, post-care, support and so forth for this subject is way beyond the scope of this newsletter. That being said, we believe it is appropriate and helpful to our readers that we offer links to some places that specialize in the various aspects of this troubling issue. The following links will take you to sites filled with information covering the complexities of suicide from many perspectives. It is our hope that our readers find the information in these sites helpful and will pass them along to others, whenever they deem it is fitting.
Grief Support for Suicide Loss Survivors.
Suicide grief: Healing after a loved one’s suicide. Note: This is published by the Mayo Clinic.
Monuments
Monuments are the most prestigious and the most enduring way we commemorate people, places and events. There are many examples of monuments that predate written history – clear testament to their endurance and their lofty role in human history. Placing a monument at a loved one’s grave site immortalizes their memory and ensures that generations far into the future will have an opportunity to visit and pay respects to those who came before them. Visitors to the monument will immediately feel the importance of the individual it honors.
THE GRIEF RECOVERY METHOD OUTREACH PROGRAM®
Coping with grief is both difficult and very personal. Fortunately, there are people who are specifically trained to assist others who have been confronted with the challenge of dealing with grief. Trained Certified Grief Recovery Specialists are available to help you work through loss in either a one-on-one or a group setting, whichever is most comfortable for you. Some people find the support and sharing in a group a very effective approach. Others would rather cope with their grief as an individual. As I said, Coping with grief is … very personal.
THE GRIEF RECOVERY METHOD OUTREACH PROGRAM® offers an online directory to help you find a Certified Grief Recovery Specialist near you. Click here to visit the directory.
The Right Photograph
When you’re handling the affairs for a deceased’s final arrangements, you will be asked for at least one photograph of the deceased during his or her life. Many times, more than one photograph will be used in newspapers, special notices, social media and so forth. Still, one photograph is typically used as the primary picture for a website obituary, and for the main newspaper notification. People often ask “how do I pick the best photograph?” There really is no perfect response for this question, but the best two answers follow: 1) Select the picture you believe the deceased would have preferred and 2) pick the photograph that ‘feels’ the best to you. Regardless of your selection, the photograph will bring countless fond memories to the minds of all who see it. We’ve seen every possible ‘type’ of photograph imaginable from men in uniform taken 55 years earlier, to women wearing cheer leading outfits taken 45 years earlier to a loving family surrounding the deceased at age 87 to the deceased working in their garden the week earlier. This list of sample pictures could continue for dozens of pages. Here’s what we’ve found: when you make the selection, it is always the right one.
