Not Trying to be Morbid!
I'm not trying to be morbid, but recently I have been making some arrangements in the event I were to die unexpectedly. I have been putting together a new will, and deciding whether I want to be cremated, buried, taken to the taxidermist, freeze dried, or frozen. In speaking with my brother this week, he was telling me people are now able to be freeze dried when they die. I had heard of being frozen and then being brought back to life but being freeze dried, that is something else. He was saying of course you would be all wrinkled and your skin won't be very soft! lol! I am not sure if he was pulling my leg or not, but I was like...You gotta be kidding me!!!
So after church last Sunday, my husband and I went to lunch with my daughter and her friend. I was explaining to her that I am thinking I want to be cremated. I was telling her it is only $1750 and she could spread my ashes in the ocean at South Padre Island. I said, "if you want you can come there on vacations and we'll chat." She was like, "sure mom, that sounds like a wonderful idea!" We were laughing and trying to be lighthearted about a serious issue. You would have to know this kid, she is extremely funny.
She then says, "why pay $1750, when we could just build a bon fire and one of us will get your hands and one of us will get your feet and we will say, one two, three and then throw you on in." Lol! She then said, "you won't be in your body anyway!"
My husband speaks up and says, "don't worry about taking me to the funeral home, just throw me out back in the pond and let me be turtle bait." Again my daughter says, "sure dad, that sounds great, I will bring my guitar and we will sing..."Ain't no turtle gonna hold my body down, ain't no turtle gonna hold my body down, meet me, meet me Jesus, Meet me in the middle of the air, I'm goin out to meet my Lord, gonna say Goodbye down here." It was crazy! We were all laughing.
We continued on with the conversation as I said, "if you want you could just take me to a taxidermist and have me stuffed, then sit me in a rocking chair so we can visit from now on, then I could go visit all of you from time to time, or better yet have me freeze dried and I won't weigh as much if you have to move me around. " It kept getting crazier and crazier, but if you were to know any of my family, we are always laughing and joking. When we get together it's like one big party, we enjoy ourselves to the ultimate and no one gets offended. It's all in fun!
On a serious note though....I hate to think about death but we will all die one day. It's a serious issue and an issue no one likes to talk about. I want to discuss it with my children so when my time comes, they will have peace about this issue, knowing that I had peace and that my hope is in Christ and I will be rejoicing on that day, because the Word of God says, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. As Christians we believe we have already passed from death to life the moment we accepted Christ as our Savior. We are new creations, the old is gone and the new has come, we will have eternal life in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I know my children all love the Lord and we will all be reunited one day in Glory. So for now I will continue to get things in order, so they don't have to take care of those things when the time comes!
So after church last Sunday, my husband and I went to lunch with my daughter and her friend. I was explaining to her that I am thinking I want to be cremated. I was telling her it is only $1750 and she could spread my ashes in the ocean at South Padre Island. I said, "if you want you can come there on vacations and we'll chat." She was like, "sure mom, that sounds like a wonderful idea!" We were laughing and trying to be lighthearted about a serious issue. You would have to know this kid, she is extremely funny.
She then says, "why pay $1750, when we could just build a bon fire and one of us will get your hands and one of us will get your feet and we will say, one two, three and then throw you on in." Lol! She then said, "you won't be in your body anyway!"
My husband speaks up and says, "don't worry about taking me to the funeral home, just throw me out back in the pond and let me be turtle bait." Again my daughter says, "sure dad, that sounds great, I will bring my guitar and we will sing..."Ain't no turtle gonna hold my body down, ain't no turtle gonna hold my body down, meet me, meet me Jesus, Meet me in the middle of the air, I'm goin out to meet my Lord, gonna say Goodbye down here." It was crazy! We were all laughing.
We continued on with the conversation as I said, "if you want you could just take me to a taxidermist and have me stuffed, then sit me in a rocking chair so we can visit from now on, then I could go visit all of you from time to time, or better yet have me freeze dried and I won't weigh as much if you have to move me around. " It kept getting crazier and crazier, but if you were to know any of my family, we are always laughing and joking. When we get together it's like one big party, we enjoy ourselves to the ultimate and no one gets offended. It's all in fun!
On a serious note though....I hate to think about death but we will all die one day. It's a serious issue and an issue no one likes to talk about. I want to discuss it with my children so when my time comes, they will have peace about this issue, knowing that I had peace and that my hope is in Christ and I will be rejoicing on that day, because the Word of God says, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. As Christians we believe we have already passed from death to life the moment we accepted Christ as our Savior. We are new creations, the old is gone and the new has come, we will have eternal life in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I know my children all love the Lord and we will all be reunited one day in Glory. So for now I will continue to get things in order, so they don't have to take care of those things when the time comes!
posted by Live, Love, Laugh at
9:04 PM
14 Comments:
Amen Dana, Amen! Great stuff. We're just a visitin' here, no!?
I sooooo need to do the same thing. Need to get my will updated...blah blah blah! It's never fun, but it's a necessary evil!
It's a good think I wasn't drinking anything, because when I got down to the stuffing you and putting you in a rocking chair I would have spit it all out right there. I was laughing so hard, and knowing your family I can just imagine the jokes going around.
Too funny! Freeze dried! I just want to be an organ donor, and then they can do with me what they wish. I'll be in a MUCH better place. At least I can help someone else out while I'm at it!
Yep, we're just passing through here on the way to a better place. :)
I think it's wonderful you can laugh and joke about an issue like death. So many times families don't want to discuss it because it't too painful. They don't understand it's a celebration when you die, not a mourning. We get to see our Lord and Saviour.
It is a difficult topic, but a necessary one. You are right however, Christians have no need to fear or dread the event.
My husband has always said he wants to be put in a rocking chair in the corner, of course with a bottle of 25 year old scotch.
Everytime I bring up the conversation of death, my daughter gets angry and says she doesn't want to talk about. My response is, "Fine. I'm going to haunt your butt for the rest of your life anyway."
Did you know that your ashes can be made into a diamond? http://lifegem.com/
And if you want something a bit more exciting, your ashes can be launched into space.
http://spaceservicesinc.com/
A GOOD topic: As for me, Living Trust ( the government and lawyers don't need most of my estate ) and Cremetion. I don't care to be on display after death. BTW you can do it very inexpensively - about $1000. And don't forget Advance Directives. ... it's simply a part of life.
And , your right, "... to live is Christ, to die is gain." ;)
A very thoughtful post about a sensitive topic. It's not morbid, rather a part of life. Thanx!
Good reading! That's one conversation I wish I heard in person. What a funny daughter you have.
It was fun mom! But for real, why do you want me to throw you out in the ocean, wouldn't you rather be on the shelf at Foley's so you can still shop the clearance rack?
We discovered that planning our own funerals was not funny. And our family didn't even want to hear about it. I wrote about it. http://collectingmythoughts.blogspot.com/2005/05/1051-cold-and-creepy-planning-my.html.
I believe Christianity teaches the hope in a resurrection of the physical body, not the disembodied soul, therefore, whatever is done should reflect respect for the body.
I always wanted a Viking funeral, but I'm sure the city would never allow it, and even though they've offered to steal my body out of the morgue and attempt a gasoline soaked rowboat version in the middle of our local lake... well... it's an awful lot of trouble when I won't be there to see it.
Instead, they are to take a vacation to Lake Louise and find a place there to dispose of my ashes.
We've been talking about the afterlife since they were tiny, so they're OK with discussing funeral arrangements. Gotta start that stuff early or they'll freak out.
I want my ashes to be put in a gallon of paint and the house painted. That way I will always be around. Semi-Gloss so I will always shine.
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