If I’m going to be cremated, why would I want my remains to be placed in a columbarium, [...]]]> In the National Funeral Directors Association’s FAQ on Cremation, I found an interesting answer to a couple questions that should be considered by those who want their ashes sprinkled in a favorite place after their death and cremation.

If I’m going to be cremated, why would I want my remains to be placed in a columbarium, or interred or scattered at the cemetery? Why shouldn’t I just have them scattered in the sea or in some other place of my choosing?

As long as it is permitted by local regulations, the cremated remains can be scattered in a place that is meaningful to you. This can, however, present difficulties for your survivors. Some people may find it hard to simply pour the mortal remains of a loved one out onto the ground or into the sea. If you wish to be scattered somewhere, it is therefore important to discuss your wishes ahead of time with the person or persons who will actually have to do the scattering. Another difficulty with scattering can occur when the remains are disposed of in an anonymous, unmarked or public place. Access to the area may be restricted for some reason in the future, undeveloped land may be developed, or any of a host of other conditions may arise that could make it difficult for your survivors to visit the site to remember you. Even if your cremated remains are scattered in your backyard, what happens if your survivors relocate sometime in the future? Once scattered, cremated remains cannot easily be collected back up. Having your remains placed, interred or scattered on a cemetery’s grounds ensures that future generations will have a place to go to remember. If remains are scattered somewhere outside the cemetery, many cemeteries will allow you to place a memorial of some type on the cemetery grounds, so survivors have a place to visit that will always be maintained and preserved.

Why is having a place to visit so important?

Because it provides a focal point for memorializing the deceased. To remember, and be remembered, are natural human needs. Throughout human history, memorialization of the dead has been a key component of almost every culture. The Washington Monument, Tomb of the Unknowns and Vietnam “Wall” in Washington, D.C are examples of memorialization which demonstrate that, throughout our history, we have always honored our dead. Psychologists say that remembrance practices, from the funeral or memorial service to permanent memorialization, serve an important emotional function for survivors by helping to bring closure and allowing the healing process to begin. Providing a permanent resting place for the deceased is a dignified treatment for a loved one’s mortal remains, which fulfills the natural human desire for memorialization.

Read the entire cremation FAQ at www.nfda.org

“On November 4th, 2009 mommy and daddy picked you up from the chapel. It smelled like stale cigarettes and felt strangely like home there. An elderly lady [...]]]> In her personal blog, The Root of All Evel: Surviving the Loss of a Child, Julie McAnary describes bringing her baby boy home after he was stillborn and cremated.

“On November 4th, 2009 mommy and daddy picked you up from the chapel. It smelled like stale cigarettes and felt strangely like home there. An elderly lady filled out papers and after a few minutes of searching she carried you to her desk. You were in what looked like a jewelry box. My little gem. Mommy and daddy cried the second she put you down on the desk. It was sad seeing you like that.

I carried you out in that tiny little box. It was the first time I ever carried you. I wish it wasn’t.”

Read her story, and share her journey as she shows him around at therootofallevel.wordpress.com…

Article Excerpt:

… The vast majority of Japanese are cremated.

In a ceremony relatives collect the ashes, picking up pieces of bone with chopsticks, and placing them in a ceramic urn.

The remains are then buried, usually under a family tombstone.

But in the high-rise graveyard, the urns are stored [...]]]> Publisher: BBC News, Tokyo
Author: Roland Buerk
Publish Date: October 13, 2009

Article Excerpt:

… The vast majority of Japanese are cremated.

In a ceremony relatives collect the ashes, picking up pieces of bone with chopsticks, and placing them in a ceramic urn.

The remains are then buried, usually under a family tombstone.

But in the high-rise graveyard, the urns are stored on shelves instead.

One half of the building is a warehouse for the dead, filled from the ground floor to the shadows high above with row upon row of rectangular metal boxes.

“You can put ashes for two people in one box,” said the monk. “So 7,000 people maximum in this space, [when] for a normal graveyard you would get 100 graves in this area [of land].”
A key selling point of the graveyard is that the ashes can be retrieved for loved ones to honour the departed.

Visiting bereaved families swipe a card in a reader attached to a computer to activate a robotic arm in the darkness of the vault…

Read the whole story at news.bbc.co.uk…
OR
Read a similar story at www.pri.org…

Article Excerpt:

…Over the past 30 years the cremation rate in the United States has grown by leaps and bounds, jumping from only 6 percent in 1975, to 19 percent in 1995 to nearly 40 percent today. And by 2025, that number [...]]]> Article: Cremation: a popular end-of-life option
Publication: The Mukilteo Beacon
Author: Jim Miller
Publish Date: October 20, 2009

Article Excerpt:

…Over the past 30 years the cremation rate in the United States has grown by leaps and bounds, jumping from only 6 percent in 1975, to 19 percent in 1995 to nearly 40 percent today. And by 2025, that number is expected to reach over 55 percent.

After forbidding cremation for centuries, the Catholic Church began allowing it back in 1963. However, it still prefers the traditional burial. Others religions that allow but discourage cremation include the Mormon Church, Reform and Conservative Judaism and Southern Baptist Convention, while Protestant Churches are much more accepting of the practice. Religions that forbid cremation are Islam, Jewish Orthodox and Eastern Orthodox churches…

Read the whole story at www.mukilteobeacon.com…

Embedded from VideoJug.com: Funerals | Cremation

Questions answered in this video: