It’s Your Funeral!

Death Flower

Death Flower

Like me, do you also receive countless, annoying advertising smses (texts) on your cell phone (mobile) ?

(This trying to be tri-lingual – SA, UK, USA – is time consuming! I think I’ll stick to SA and you can translate for yourselves!)

Here is a recent one that just made me laugh :-

R50,000 Funeral Cover from H**** from R84.80 pm. Ages between 18&75. Reply YES for a quote. STOP to opt out. H**** Life Assurance  co. Ltd. Auth FSP. Std rates.

While my age is between 18 and 75, I do not like to be constantly offered Life insurance, for when I am Dead!

Also, why on earth would anyone need R50,000 for a funeral? You could do a very nice smallish wedding for 50 guests, for that price!

I don’t have hundreds of friends so what could you spend R50,000 on? Are they going to throw gold dust on my coffin? Sorry, that’s not going to work, as I intend to be cremated, so no burial for starters.

But the sms got me thinking about death and the funeral process. I figure that when you’re gone you’re gone. You may be missed for a time, but life goes on. You might leave children and family behind that share some of your genes, but if not, then you leave behind that ripple you made through life; maybe when you helped a stranger in some small way, that meant a great deal to them at the time. I have been helped in the past, and will never forget the kindness of those total strangers.

Some people leave very specific details for their funeral service. For example, my Mum wanted a dozen Red roses of Lancashire on her coffin, despite having lived in Yorkshire, the White rose, for half her life.

I think that the funeral service is for those remaining, to say goodbye. So they can do what they want at my funeral. I have only requested of my girls, that a certain song be played, for fun. (No, I’m not telling you what it is. You’ll have to attend my funeral to find out!) And that everyone must down a shot of vodka! Rather celebrate than get too morbid.

But most of this is moot, as I plan to live to 104!

 

35 thoughts on “It’s Your Funeral!”

  1. faburlifekhloe

    Oh my goodness! I would never thought funeral services were promoting themselves through sms these!!! I might be slightly offended if I received, but you made it sound hilarious 😛 They were promoting to a wrong person…they better promote it to themselves and they will come to know how expensive it is lol 😀

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Gobetween

    Everyone is cremating their loved ones, apparently it is cheaper than a funeral. My mom does not want to discuss such matters too much except that we must not play “Amazing Grace” because they played it at her father’s funeral and that is why she does not like it. Some people drink so much when someone passes away that they would not know if you spent R5 000 or R50 000. I dislike all adverts for medical aid, life insurance and funeral policies. They rip you off and you are never really covered to cope with costs.

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  3. Midwestern Plant Girl

    Yup. My plan is to give up whatever anyone else can use and have a natural burial. No chemicals or coffin. No church. Just wrapped in a blanket my mom knitted. A tree will be planted nearby for a marker. There’s only a few cemeteries that are doing this now, surely more in future… When I go at 116, like you! 😱

    Liked by 1 person

    1. scifihammy Post author

      It does seem the more natural way – be part of nature and the whole ecosystem. Hopefully there will be plenty of places to choose from – when you are 116!! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  6. kismet

    For a minute I wondered if the scifi must be fed some vodka then it dawned that all is well. Now then …I shall make my way home for sure. Will carry me own vodka and recite yee a poem…more importantly I shall have along with me many a sparky and LM singing a song ❤️😄

    Liked by 1 person

    1. scifihammy Post author

      hehe Thank you so much! 🙂
      btw We saw a scrawny little Sparky on our walk just now! Even old Mr SL saw Sparky and got all excited! But Sparky hopped up a tree and shook its tail at us as we passed by! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  8. pensitivity101

    Death and Taxes, or taxed to death whichever way you look at it, being charged the earth for a certainty. In the UK they came up with a cost of over £4000 for a basic funeral.
    Hubby and I wish to be cremated. If there are any bits of us of any use to anyone else, they’re welcome. Hubby wants to be dressed in his favourite joggers, woolly pully and bennie hat, whereas I want to go to my maker in Dad’s cardy with a fistful of dog biscuits in the pockets as I visit Rainbow Bridge on the way.
    Services will be simple, Hubby doesn’t want one, but if I go first, I’d like a little bit of Il Divo played and for a copy of All Things Bright and Beautiful to be smashed to bits as I cannot abide that hymn (my sister loves it, so PLEASE don’t let her anywhere near the order of service).
    Mind you, I have no intention of starting the ball rolling just yet! 😛

    Liked by 1 person

  9. colinandray

    Pretty much agree agree with everything you said. I am enjoying what money I have and, if there is any left over for the kids, then they’re welcome to it. If you want to give me flowers, please do it while I am alive so that I can appreciate them. It is not my wish that you support a floral business because of my passing. Likewise, if you have nice things to say about me, please say them to me now! As for funeral costs? Whatever makes you happy because I am not really going to be there, and how you spend your money (I’m not pre-paying!) is none of my business. Finally, celebrate my life ‘cos for all the mistakes I made (I’ve never made claims of perfection!) ……… I had a good one, and believe that I impacted many people in a positive and supportive manner. That’s it! Got more things to do now!

    Liked by 1 person

  10. ady

    Esther(ladysighs) sound just like my mom !! She too says that She would like to be left for Medical uses when She is gone.
    I personally think,those who mourn will mourn whether or not the names appear in paper or anything extravagant is done. What these services do,is try to rip off in the most subtle way they can, speaking how sorry they are each time…
    A very open hearted and brave post dear 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  11. ladysighs

    I could never understand the expense of funerals. I can’t even understand funerals. I don’t intend to attend mine.
    I would like my body to be left for science. But even arranging that is hard. Paperwork and certain requirements to be met. No way to just dump a body on the steps of the lab. 😦
    Cremation is good for me. As I was preparing this comment, I found this site. I think being food for a tree would be nice. 🙂 But I probably won’t get any say so.
    http://www.treehugger.com/sustainable-product-design/poetree-a-funeral-urn-that-lets-you-plant-a-tree-from-ashes.html

    Liked by 2 people

      3. Garfield Hug

        Yup! So my wish had to be expressedly written that benefits you & your family 😉
        I know as I was once required to lie in bed for 3 months after major spinal surgery & it was a humbling experience. I swore never to live like that – too painful for me & family 😉

        Liked by 1 person

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