Prearrange My Heart
My mother asked me to go with her to help prearrange her funeral. A little time has passed since she first asked. We haven’t gone yet, so I’ve had some time to think about it. Slogans like, “Save now, rest in peace later,” and, “We put them in the ground, no money down,” and, “You only get one chance to make a lasting impression” have been running through my mind. You have to have a sense of humor about this. I always smile when I see the sign for Burns Funeral Home & Crematory.
I understand that families can be especially vulnerable when they lose a loved one and that the argument in favor of prearrangements is heavily on the side of making important decisions about death and burial well in advance of that emotionally charged experience. It makes sense. The stress of planning will be over; attention can be given to other important details.
It also makes sense that prearrangement can help lock in the price of the burial and all that accompanies it. The idea of a payment plan, not having to pay out a large sum all at once, makes even more sense—and it’s easy on the wallet. If death isn’t imminent, plans can even be altered, sometimes without incurring any further expense. All good, financially sound ideas.
From a practical perspective, all that I’ve read makes me think we should do this. After all, my mom wants to. Why not? But truth be told, I feel a lot of personal resistance.
