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Reducing the
BW urden
hen I look back on my life, I have always had a desire to learn and to serve others. Educated in a school of hard knocks, early on I read a writing of Charles Swindoll entitled Attitude. It has been clipped and on our fridge for likely 30 years. It is faded and splattered and tatted. It reminds me still that regardless of how much
or how little I know of something, the right attitude can direct your choices in life. I’m grateful to have an attitude that is optimistic and encouraging.
Death and dying has been in my system throughout my life. I thrive on learning and educating; death just happens to be my schtick. As I’ve met with women and groups across 3-4 generations, there have been huge shifts in attitudes and interest. There has also been, across those generations, a constant thread in the mama bear questions and comments. It is this: “I don’t want to burden my cubs with my funeral expenses.”
The go to solution has often been to purchase a prepaid funeral contract. As a funeral provider, I’ve witnessed this can be a helpful product at time of need. I’ve also been witness to the family dynamic at death when that’s all it is – a financial transaction. Does this reduce all the burden? I would say, not.
So, what’s a mama bear to do? Get educated and do some realistic planning. Death is more than just our practical pieces.
It is also heart centred. Thinking too much about it can be overwhelming and paralyzing. Bite size pieces together with contemplation and conversation is a holistic pathway forward. The grief process and outcomes in families is much healthier in those circles where thoughtful conversations had taken place beforehand.
In addition to providing burial, cremation and memorial services, Pine Box Funerals Inc. is proud to be a licensed facilitator for WILLOW
End of Life education and planning. We’ve begun to deliver
education events (ROMs) that help to explore the reality
of our mortality. There is a schedule and a link at pineboxfunerals.ca that will take you to several free tools and resources to get you thinking.
For many of us mama bears, it is just what we do... make a plan, follow it through and protect and love our cubs, even unto death.
bonnie hoFFmAnn
LICEnSEd FUnERaL dIRECTOR
bonnie@pineboxfunerals.ca pineboxfunerals.ca I 780-910-6432
Christina Louise Photography