In considering funeral planning as a whole, burial is often among the most significant costs and, in most cases, the most expensive part of the funeral. If it is your wish, the expressed instruction of your deceased loved one, or an important religious or philosophical belief to pursue burial in the earth, when considering the cost of cemetery property, you should also factor in not only the associated costs of burial, but other funeral costs that you will also be making.
Despite the cost, cemetery interment remains very popular and is the most common funeral practice. In large part, this is due to the fact that many people prefer to adhere to the traditions that they know. There's a lot of comfort to be found in rituals and traditions. Another reason for the continued popularity of interment is the fact that many religions and cultures still forbid or caution against cremation or other forms of disposition.
The benefits of burial are largely societal, psychological and spiritual.
For many, the idea of a traditional grave with a headstone is a soothing thought for a variety of reasons.
To begin with, humans have been burying their dead for centuries.
There's a rhythm in the tradition of it. For some, many generations before them have been buried, and therefore, that's what they want and expect upon their passing. Many cultures take great pride in visiting the graves of their beloved deceased. Visiting the grave becomes a ritual and plays a large part in many holidays and festivals.
1. Why am I considering burial?
2. If I practice a particular faith or religion, what are its views on burial?
3. Can I afford the cost of a plot and the additional associated costs?
4. Is there available cemetery space in my community?
5. For what reasons would I consider an alternative to traditional burial?
6. What other types of disposition would I consider?
7. What are my family's thoughts on the subject?
Since everything we do after the death of a loved one is ultimately for the comfort of the living, it's undeniable that there's comfort in the tradition of interment. A headstone becomes symbolic of the person that has been lost. Whether immediately following the burial, months or even years afterwards, the gravesite often serves as a place for the survivors to go to feel close to their deceased loved one, to offer a prayer or a thought, to meditate on life's triumphs and joys, to remember the past, to continue to grieve or simply symbolically or spiritually commune with the departed.
For others still, burial is symbolic of position in life.
The grave site becomes as much of an identifier as the kind of car that the individual drove or the size of the home in which they lived.
Many, also, find peace in an idea of permanence. For them, a grave becomes their permanent mark upon the earth. Regardless of any comfort that can be found in the belief of some religions of an eternal afterlife, some people do worry that they will be continued to be remembered on this earth after they have died. The grave becomes the symbol of that permanent, "I was here."
Hal Stevens owns the Cemetery Spot family of websites that provide products, services and resource directories related to end of life topics. Services include the Cemetery Spot FREE Online Memorial Listing Service and the Cemetery Spot FREE Cemetery Property Listing Service.
Hal is also the author of several critically acclaimed eBooks specifically written to help people deal with end of life issues. His eBooks include topics such as: cremation, writing and delivering a eulogy, eco-friendly green funerals, funeral planning, organ donation, and buying and selling cemetery plots.
To find out more about these free services and resources, to learn more about his books, and to get a free gift, visit http://www.cemeteryspot.com
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