Blog
ACCESS CREMATION BLOG
The Conversation Project
There is no way around it… Illness and death are inevitable parts of life.
While these topics are not easy to discuss, they are important conversations that must be had. Planning, preparing and having explicit and clear conversations with loved ones about your end of life wishes can be a way to not just ensure that your wishes are honored, but also to strengthen your ties with loved ones. This can also serve to reassure your loved ones that they are doing what you have asked of them and can release them of feelings of guilt or uncertainty as to what the right thing to do may be or what the loved one would have wanted done for them.
What is a Mourning Ring?
A mourning ring is a ring worn on the finger in memory of someone who has died. Usually, a mourning ring has the name and date of the loved one’s death and can even have an image on it. Others may choose to select a particular stone, for example a black enamel, which is associated with mourning. The use of these rings can be traced back to the middle ages and have evolved over the years. These type of rings can be a meaningful symbol and connection to our loved one and can be a way to keep them present in our daily lives.
Learning to Move Forward With Grief
We don’t move forward from grief, instead we learn to put one foot in front of the other and move forward with our grief. The reality of grief is that the pain of our loss never really leaves us, however, it is possible to resolve to live our lives fully with appreciation, gratitude and in honor of the lives who have so deeply impacted our own lives.
Grief is a process that may take years for us to work through and make peace with the many emotions we may be feeling at any given moment. However, we can take comfort in knowing that with the help of our friends and family, we will be able to get through this challenging time. You will be able to smile, and even laugh again, despite your grief.
The Myth of Closure: Is Closure Always the Goal?
The loss of a loved one is difficult to accept, regardless of the age. For so many, the loss, whether expected or unexpected, brings a new reality to which we must adjust. We struggle with the words left unsaid, the questions left unanswered, and the opportunity to be able to say our final farewells. Perhaps even more heart-wrenching is the finality of the loss, and the realization that we will never be able to see our loved one again. This in turn leaves us unable to find acceptance of our new reality and interferes with our ability to find closure as we grieve and heal.
Mental Health Matters
Mental health has become more of a focus and subject of discussion in the three years since COVID-19 first began. The impact of having disrupted schooling and employment, and so many experiencing sickness and death within their immediate families and friends has exacerbated feelings of anxiety and sadness. Factors that are largely out of our control overwhelmed the system and devastated so many of us. It is no surprise that we are experiencing such a demand for increased mental health services for children and adults.
Have You Tried Journaling?
The ability to think about and be aware of our thoughts, or metacognition, is uniquely human. The process of writing helps us to make sense of our feelings, assigning words to those emotions and helps us to organize our thoughts. In doing so, we are better able to...
Can Stress Make You Sick?
Admittedly, there are many stressors in our lives, but among the biggest stressors we will ever have to face or endure is the loss of a loved one. But did you know that such stressors are linked to illness, if we are unable to find a way to cope with such stressors in...
How Do We Know Who is the Next of Kin?
If you are located in California, you can locate Next of Kin is definitions and information on the California Legislature website. Please be sure to visit this link: California Health and Safety Code 7100. The Next of Kin is usually the deceased’s closest living relative over the age of 18. This person would have the legal right to authorize cremation or other disposition of remains.
Processing Grief: ‘All There Is’ with Anderson Cooper & Other Healing Resources
Processing grief while also taking on the responsibility of making decisions about what to do with the loved one’s belongings can be overwhelming. Everything that has been accumulated over a person’s lifetime, every greeting card, letter, award, article of clothing can hold so much meaning and memories that make it all the more difficult to figure out what will be kept, given to others or disposed of in some other way.
Estate Planning: Wills & Trusts
The many responsibilities of our day-to-day lives can be hectic enough without having to think about preparing our will or testament. The truth is that it makes our mortality seem ever so real, and so much more present than we may want to admit. However, the...
You know the strength of a company by the company it keeps. We are proud to be members of:
CANA is an international organization that was founded in 1913 with the goal to promote safe and hygienic methods for individuals who choose cremation. Access Cremation is proud to be among its 1,500 members.
ICCFA proudly promotes consumer choices, pre-arrangement and open competition. Since being founded in 1887, it has created numerous guidelines advocating state legislation on a number of consumer related issues.