It’s easy to talk about upcoming family plans, the most recent movie you saw, funny things that happened at school or work, and other such things. But when it comes to what you want for your own final services, it’s a difficult topic. You don’t want to think about passing on and your family members don’t want to think about being without you. But funeral homes in Madison, WI encourage you to have that conversation. Think of it two ways. One, you could avoid the conversation and pass on. At that time, your loved ones would have no idea what you wanted, and they would have to guess. Or two, you can have the conversation and when you pass on, your family knows just what you want and can move forward with hose plans confidently.
You don’t want to bring this up to your family around a birthday celebration or when they are on their way out the door after a visit. Instead, you need to create a good time and a good place to talk about your wishes. You need uninterrupted time that will allow you to get out what you need to say and even take questions.
If you are ready for this conversation, chances are you have thought about what you want. If you want to be cremated, let your family know. If you want a traditional funeral, tell them that. Any details you have in mind are things you should lay out for them. You can write the plans out and make sure they know what you want or you can even plan with a funeral home and give them copies of those plans when you have the discussion.
Keep in mind that when you talk to your loved ones about your final services, those services are going to be as much about them as they will be about you. Your loved ones will be left behind and they are going to have certain needs that the services can meet. Ask them what they might want when that time comes. Their input can give you ideas for things to include that you might want to shift into your plans.
Even if you are the oldest member of your family, you don’t know for sure that you will be the person who is going to pass away first. If anyone else in the family wants to share what they want for their future, it might be a good time for them to move ahead with those plans as well. You have the time and the opportunity, so open the floor up for more sharing.
Be prepared for questions when you talk to your family as well. The professionals at funeral homes in Madison, WI can give you pamphlets that might help you answer some of them, while others might revolve around why you decided to go a certain direction for yourself.