There is no Time Like the Present

Article submitted by Allen Bankson, Family Service Manager at Resthaven.
For more information, they can be reached at 225-753-1440.

It is never easy to talk about death, but perhaps one of the most thoughtful things you can do for your loved ones is to spare them the pain of making cemetery arrangements at the time of your passing. Did you realize there are over 50 decisions that must be made at the time of a death? These decisions are best made in a thoughtful, unhurried manner by you and a memorial counselor, not by a surviving spouse who, overwrought with grief, often makes choices that result in emotional overspending.

Pre-planning gives you and your family peace of mind. You can discuss considerations at your own pace and budgetary concerns with an advanced planning professional, then share your decisions with your family, calmly, without the pain of an actual loss.

Funeral pre-planning also allows for the life insurance policy you leave behind to be used in the manner for which it was intended, the surviving spouse's quality of life. By pre-planning your funeral, you can protect your family from inflationary trends while providing the assurance that comes with knowing your family won't have to make the hard decisions at the time when they should be concentrating on supporting each other rather than worrying about money and what you would have wanted.

For yourself, you also gain a quiet peace knowing that all will be handled in the manner you have chosen. Though you cannot prevent all the pain and pressure at the time of death, you can eliminate most of the indecision that does occur.

The death of a loved one is one of the most painful experiences we are faced with in life. If you have ever lost someone you love, you know, it is an event filled with shock, confusion, helplessness and urgent decisions. You will discover a big burden has been lifted once this inevitable aspect of life has been addressed with advanced planning arrangements.