Monthly Archives: July 2022

cremation services in Tukwila, WA

Writing Thank You Cards After Cremation Services

You may notice that a lot of different people come out of the woodwork to support you when you lose a loved one. As you plan and implement the cremation services in Tukwila, WA, you will get sympathy cards, memorial money, flowers, food delivered to your home, gift baskets, and lots of other things. These gifts are thoughtful gestures and some of your friends might also offer to do things to help you through this hard time. These people are trying to support you and you are grateful for their help. You may want to reach out to them, after the fact, and thank them for their kindness. Use these tips to write those thank you cards when you are ready.

Get The Stationery/Cards

Before you start the process, decide what cards or stationery you are going to use. You can use nice paper or you can get actual thank you cards, or even just blank cards with a nice picture on the outside. You don’t have to buy something specifically for each person, but rather get a large pack of something that you can send to everyone to make it easier on you.

Organize The List And Track Early

As people start sending things and doing things for you that you are going to want to remember later, start a list in a notebook that you can have with you to keep track. You may feel like you are in a fog and it can get hard to remember who did what or who sent what later. So, when someone brings a meal, write down their name and what they brought on the list so you can refer to it later. If they send money in a card, note their return address as well to make writing that card simpler.

Write A Few At A Time

Once you have collected most of what you think will come in and the cremation and memorial services are behind you, you may want to start writing the thank you cards. Don’t feel like you have to sit down and write dozens of cards at a time. That’s hard on your hand and can be emotionally taxing as well. Plus, you want to customize the cards and you might feel like you are saying the same thing over and over again. Commit to writing a few each day, or a couple in the morning and a couple at night, and you will get through them in time.

cremation services in Tukwila, WA

Distribute The Work

Don’t feel like you have to write all of the cards when there are other family members involved in the grieving process as well. If someone sent something specifically to you, you will want to be the one to thank them. But if someone sent a memorial gift to the family, you can ask other family members to help in writing those thank you cards.

If you need more advice on writing thank you cards, the professionals that helped with the cremation services in Tukwila, WA are here to help.

funeral homes in Tukwila, WA

Thoughtful Sympathy Gifts Around Funeral Home Services

It’s hard to know what to do when you hear someone you know has lost a loved one. In reality, nothing you can say, do, or send is going to take away their pain. But having your support around the services they are having at funeral homes in Tukwila, WA really will mean a lot. They will understand who, in their life, they can truly count on when they are going through a hard time and you are going to want to be one of those people. Here are some of the thoughtful sympathy gifts you might consider for them.

The Gift Of Your Time

One of the nicest things anyone can do for someone else is giving them the gift of their time. There are a variety of things you might do with your time for your friend. You could offer to clean their house and prepare the guestroom before they have family come into town. You can offer to run errands for them and stock their home with necessities. You can ask if they want you to walk their dog, drive their kids to school, or take on any other regular tasks. Their time is tight right now and there are plenty of things you might be able to do to lessen the pressures on them.

Flowers/Cards

One of the most common gifts is a flower arrangement and/or a card for the grieving family. You can send flowers to the funeral home for the service they are having and it’s a nice decoration in the background of the day. You can also send it directly to your friend for them to enjoy in their home. The sympathy card is something you will send to let them know you are thinking of them and that you are sorry for their loss. That can go along with the flowers, or you can send one alone, perhaps with some memorial money inside.

Gift Cards

You want your friend to get back out into the world at some point and gift cards might help them to do that. You can get them gift cards to the grocery store, a restaurant, a book store they enjoy, a spa for a massage, or anything else you feel they might appreciate. That way, when they are ready to venture out, they can use them in any way they see fit.

Sympathy Baskets

You can place anything you want in a sympathy basket, like candles, comfort foods, a blanket, books, music, and so on. This is a nice way to customize your support and give things you feel they would use during this hard time.

funeral homes in Tukwila, WA

Streaming Services

One thing your friend might appreciate is a distraction from the planning and grieving process. You might donate a year’s worth of a streaming service to them so they can catch up on shows when they want time away from the grief. They might be able to watch some of their family’s favorites as well. Funeral homes in Tukwila, WA always have further ideas if you need more options.

cremation services in West Seattle, WA

What Kind of Cremation Service Do You Want?

When you are thinking about planning out your own cremation services in Seattle, WA, it’s good to know what the options are. You know what cremation entails and while cremation takes place the same way every time, there are lots of things you can do around the cremation service like choosing an urn and the timing of that service can also vary. Here are different types of cremation so you have a full understanding and can choose what you feel is best for your situation.

A Full Cremation

Full cremation is the most traditional option and, in a way, can give you the best of both worlds. With this option, you have a visitation and full funeral service beforehand and then, the cremation takes place once those things are concluded. The funeral will have to take place quickly as the cremation needs to happen within a few days of your death. But it’s a nice way to give family traditions and ceremonies that they might appreciate while still allowing you the cremation you want.

A Direct Cremation

Direct cremation is much more straightforward. After you pass on, you are transported to the funeral home and your family deals with paperwork. Once those things are in order, cremation takes place without any services beforehand. It’s a succinct way to meet needs in a simple manner without a lot of extras. It costs the least, but also gives you the most options as to what can be done after the cremation process is carried out.

A Cremation Followed By Burial

While there are a lot of options for final resting places after the cremation, some people still like the idea of a cemetery burial, and that is one option that works just fine. Cremation can move forward and then, after the memorial family can gather at the cemetery and have a traditional burial, in a much smaller plot, for the cremated remains. Cremation also means that you can be buried in other locations if you so choose. You could be placed in a family garden, for example, easily enough.

cremation services in West Seattle, WA

A Cremation With A Memorial Service

Many people that want cremation understand that their family is going to need some kind of service to say goodbye and perhaps to get the closure they need to move forward. That might mean setting up some kind of memorial service. Memorial services can be whatever you want them to be and they can take place at any time after the cremation is complete. Some people want to have something that feels more like a funeral and is somber and ceremonial in nature while others want something casual, like a family meal. You can even have a life celebration, with a much more light-hearted feel. There’s no pressure on the timeline as these services can take place whenever you want after the cremation is completed.

If you have more questions about the regulation of cremation services in Seattle, WA, the professionals are more than willing to answer so you have the details you need.

funeral homes in West Seattle, WA

Lending A Hand During The Grieving Process

There’s nothing easy about grieving. Perhaps you have lost a loved one and you know that from personal experience. Your heart goes out to friends and family members when they lose someone because you know just how hard it is. You can contact funeral homes in West Seattle, WA, and ask for advice on ways to lend a hand to someone who is grieving. Here are a few ideas that can help you get started on the options.

Ask What They Need

If you aren’t sure what to do, you could always reach out to your friend and family member and simply ask them what you can do to help them. They might need errands run, their dog walked, or help with service plans. Whatever they need, try to fill those voids. You can offer specific ideas, like mowing their lawn, if they don’t seem sure what they should ask for. As long as they know you are willing to help, that’s most important.

Help Them To Rest

Your friend or family member is going through a hard time and you, from life experience, probably know that going through a hard time on little sleep is going to make everything feel harder. It can be hard to sleep when grieving, but as a good friend, you can try to make sure they get to rest. When they are trying to clean their house to prepare for family visitors, perhaps suggest that they lie down for a while and you will do the dusting. Take over small tasks that give them the time they need to rest so they can get through this grief in the best way possible.

Give Them A Massage Card

IT can be hard for anyone to relax when they are grieving, but that is exactly what might be best for them. Once the funeral is behind them, you might want to give them a gift card to a local spa so they can get a massage. They might have a lot of tension built up in their muscles from the proceedings and the grief and letting it out can be just what they need.

Run Errands For Them

Your friend is going to need things for their home, thank you cards, and a variety of other things that you can get for them. Ask them what they need to have picked up when you are running their own errands and let them know they can call you between your own trips if they need anything else and don’t have time to get out themselves.

Cook A Meal

Lots of people will deliver meals, but you might want to take over your friend’s kitchen and cook something fresh for them when they need a meal so they can eat it right away. You can make sure they are getting something nutritious that way, too.

funeral homes in West Seattle, WA

If you need more ideas for things you can do to lend a hand to someone that is grieving, the professionals at funeral homes in West Seattle, WA can offer more ideas and options.