Monthly Archives: August 2022

5 Great Sympathy Gifts

Giving a Gift After Loss Can Be a Great Way to Show You Care, and Here are Popular Options

Cremation services in Clarksburg, MD, can be a challenging and painful experience for someone to go through after losing a loved one. If you want to support the person, it may be challenging to know how to get this done, so one thing you can offer is a gift. There are thousands of options available that you can choose from, so we have selected five of the top choices to help you narrow it down and make a decision that feels appropriate for the individual.

Offer them Your Time

Depending on the circumstances, the individual may not need a physical gift. And the reality is that when people are suffering a loss, they may need emotional support more than anything else. So the first gift that is recommended is to offer your time. This could be going to the person’s house and spending time with them or seeing if there are any tasks, they need help with completed around their home. Even making a phone call to remind them you’re thinking of them can help them as they’re going through grief.

Get them a Gift Basket

Another popular option is creating or purchasing a gift basket for the individual. This could be one that you have picked out with a company online, or you might consider making one yourself. Think about the kind of individual the person is and choosing items that would be meaningful for them is essential. Some ideas can include a coffee and tea basket, chocolate, or favorite candy arrangement, or picking a theme like a movie night or relaxation.

Streaming Services

Grief can be an exhausting process for many people, so why not get them a streaming service? Having a service in place can let them watch movies or shows that they enjoy, which might help give them a momentary break from the experience of grief that they’re going through.

Gift Cards

Gift cards are a great way to show someone that you’re thinking about them, and they can be personalized to offer many different service options. Picking self-care items like massage or paying for assistance around their home can be great ways to show them you care and encourage them to take care of themselves during their difficult time.

Jewelry or a Personalized Item

The last popular gift idea would benefit someone who had their loved one cremated. Memorial jewelry is an excellent choice for a gift because it combines part of the individual’s ashes with the materials to create a personalized and thoughtful option. There are multiple choices on the market, including necklaces, rings, bracelets, and even key chains, so choose what feels appropriate.

Exceptional Services Our Community Depends On

Choosing the right gift for your loved one can let them know that they are deeply cared for and not alone in the process messages of sympathy can vary in many ways and if you need help planning cremation services in Clarksburg, MD, we are your locally trusted professionals. We offer exceptional care and have been in the business for over four generations, so contact us today to schedule an appointment.

Cemetery History and Facts

Cemeteries Offer Great History and Insight, so here are Some Interesting Facts About them

Funeral homes in Clarksburg, MD, offer an essential service for friends and family members to lay loved ones to rest after they have passed on. Traditional burial will require utilizing a cemetery and purchasing a casket, burial plot, grave liner, and headstone. Cemeteries have an interesting history, so this article will discuss some facts about them to help give you more information.

Headstone Inscriptions are Called Epitaphs

Epitaphs or a commonly used option for people after they have buried a loved one. In colonial America, the inscriptions were not what they are today that would make statements about how the individual had passed away. As society’s knowledge of death evolved, these phrases and sayings changed into words about grief, hope, and even humor, depending on the individual.

Some Graves Face East

Early American settlers would have their graves with the feet pointing east. This was due to their faith that if they were to be reborn, they would easily rise to face the new day’s sun. However, this changed once cemeteries started being built in rural areas. Because the graveyards were placed on hilly terrain or along winding roads, the graves’ directions changed.

The Headstone Material Had Meaning

Headstones were commonly made from sandstone, sleep, granite, limestone, marble, and even some wood options. Wealthy families typically had marble and granite as their material choice, while lower and middle-class families used wood, lime, and sandstone.

Cemeteries Have Rules

Another interesting fact about cemeteries is some have specific rules that individuals follow. a few examples can include:

Having a set opening and closing time for the property
Opening any speed limit
Not disturbing the graves
Keeping pets on a leash
Not leaving any decorations behind on the gravesite

You Might Find Obelisks in a Cemetery

As cemeteries were being decorated war heavily in the 1840s, individuals started noticing obelisk stones in graveyards in the Americas. This was due to an interest in Egyptian culture because the obelisks offered a patriotic look at a more affordable cost than large monuments.

Cemeteries Are Used in Many Ways

The last interesting fact is that graveyards are used for more than just burial processes. Some individuals may find it to be a quiet and welcoming environment to have a picnic or find it to be a relaxing space. Other cemeteries are used for educational purposes, and they may have a museum with art, or this space can be used for events like music or showing movies.

Our Services are Trusted and Professional

Cemeteries have a rich history, and they are a vital part of burial for individuals after loss. Planning the services or pre-arrangements at one of the funeral homes in Clarksburg, MD, might feel like a challenging situation if you’ve never been through it before, so we are here to help you. We are a family-owned and operated business that has provided exceptional services for over four generations for our community. We understand the pain of loss and what it takes to create a memorable event so contact us today to schedule an appointment.

Popular Ceremony Ideas for an Ash Scattering

Cremation services in Silver Spring, MD, are a thoughtful and honorable way to send off a loved one after they have passed away. Some people may not want to keep the remains at home in an urn, or the loved one may have requested to be scattered. If this is the situation, creating a scattering ceremony can be an essential part of laying them to rest, so this article will discuss some popular options to include in the ceremony.

Organizing the Event

The scattering ceremony is no different from any other event because the details can make a difference in the overall experience. The first thing you need to do is pick the location where you will scatter the ashes. This could mean choosing an area meaningful to the loved one or even a place that they enjoyed immensely, such as a park or private property.

You can start planning the event and some popular details you can include are:

Having a food and beverage service
Choosing music to play at the scattering
Asking others to share stories about the individual
Picking decorations that are personalized around the loved one

You will need to schedule a time for the event, and if it’s an outdoor area, you may have to reserve the location. If you choose a public site and you want a more private event, select timing for the ceremony when it’s less likely for large numbers of people to be there.

The last consideration is who will be doing the scattering of the ashes. Some people choose to have one person do it, and others may want to include multiple individuals, so take this into consideration.

Scattering Details

Fireworks: Companies are now offering to incorporate ashes into the fireworks, which can be let off as a way of scattering them. This can create a significant and authentic experience for anyone in attendance.

Trenching: Trenching is creating a small hole or trench in the earth and then placing the cremated remains in the space. If you’ve chosen a more private location, you might consider creating a monument or plaque to create a marker of the spot they were released.

Raking: Raking is when the remains are raked into the soil. Multiple individuals or one person can do this, and this can be enhanced by having a releasing ceremony such as doves, butterflies, or paper lanterns.

Casting: Casting Is the traditional method of releasing the remains into the wind. In most cases, words will be spoken about the individual as they are being let go, and it is recommended to purchase a scattering tube for this type of ceremony.

Professional and Caring Services

The scattering ceremony will occur after the cremation services in Silver Spring, MD, and can be a heartfelt way to say farewell to a loved one. If you need assistance in planning the services from start to finish, we are here to help. We have been in business since the early 1900s providing exceptional care so contact us today if you need to schedule an appointment or see our community outreach.

Decorating the Headstone is a Common Practice, so here are Some Tips and Ideas

Funeral homes in Silver Spring, MD, are the first place individuals will turn to after a loved one has passed on to create meaningful and thoughtful services. If the individual is buried in a traditional method, the loved ones will need to purchase a cemetery plot, casket, grave liner, and headstone. The headstone is a marker of where the individual is laid to rest, and in most cases, people will choose to have a personalized inscription placed on it. If you want to decorate the outside of it, this article discussed some popular options, so keep reading for more information.

Flowers

The way you choose to decorate the headstone is a personal experience, and it can also be based on what you’re trying to reflect, depending on your emotional state. One of the most common decorations that people will leave add a headstone or flowers. Some monuments can have a vase incorporated directly into the design, making the experience easier if you plan to visit frequently.

And the flowers you choose will also have different meanings based on the colors and type you select, so it’s recommended to do some research or simply pick what feels right at the moment.

Mementos

The loss of an individual means that they won’t be there to experience day-to-day situations, and flowers aren’t the only choice. It’s not uncommon if someone served in the military for individuals to place a flag that signifies the country, they served in.

Others may choose to bring more personal items that the individual enjoyed, like a favorite book or even notes with an inscription about the person. If the individual enjoyed a specific hobby, you could also incorporate this into your chosen decorations. For example, if they liked sports, you could leave a memento like a softball at their headstone or a favorite artistic item they used as a paintbrush.

Holiday Options

The holidays can be a more challenging time for individuals after they have suffered a loss, and it’s not uncommon for people to decorate the headstones with items based on the time of year. This is especially true if the holiday is an important one to the deceased and decorating the monument can be a way to still have them involved in the celebration even if they’re not there physically.

Exceptional Care and Services You Can Count On

If you are planning on decorating the headstone, one thing that is recommended is to make sure that you check with the cemetery before leaving any items behind. Some properties have more rigid rules about what is placed on the headstones, so contact them before purchasing.

Planning the event can be a challenging experience for some if you have never had to go through it before. And if you’ve recently started looking at funeral homes in Silver Spring, MD, we are the local professionals you can trust. We have been offering exceptional pre-arrangement services since the early 1900s so contact us today to schedule an appointment.

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