Moody Funeral Home

Honoring and paying tribute to someone that has passed is usually done by sending an arrangement of flowers to the funeral. This gesture of sympathy has been known to add comfort to the family as the color and beauty bring something to a somber event. When your time comes to show respect for someone that has passed, you’ll likely be choosing among the most popular flowers for a funeral.

The first choice for many who are sending flowers are lilies as they seem to have a long standing connection to funeral. The design and whiteness of the lily is said to be a symbol of peace and innocence that is restored to the soul of the loved one that has left. This message and their beauty make them a very popular choice.

Although they are a very popular choice, not many people think of roses when they think of death, Valentine’s Day seems to be what people connect this flower to. But you can send the message of love, respect and courage through a red rose or reverence, youthfulness and innocence with a white one. Honoring the memory of the person with a pink rose conveys the meaning of aristocracy, love and grace.

An arrangement of gladioli symbolizes strength of character, sincerity and moral integrity, all things you may think of when you remember the deceased. To acknowledge that this is a time of grief, choosing chrysanthemums, or mums as most know them by, is suitable.

You may be drawn …

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While having roots in antiquity, the custom of a riderless horse participating in a funeral procession has changed dramatically since the time of an ancient legend of mourners leading a horse to a burial site, where it was slaughtered and eaten as part of a ritual. Horses were occasionally sacrificed so that their souls could accompany their masters into an afterlife, were buried in tombs from time to time for the same purpose, and were dispatched on similar journeys to another world well into the 14th century.

In North America, early Native Americans had great reverence for horses, and while the founders of the United States of America may not have shared that reverence initially, they nonetheless respected the animal’s significant roles in transportation, agriculture, sport and the military. At the end of the 18th century in the United States, with the death of America’s first president, a new role emerged: the riderless horse representing the mount of a fallen leader.

A former officer in the American Revolutionary War, Henry “Light-Horse Harry” Lee eulogized George Washington in December 1799 as being “…first in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen…” Twelve days after Washington’s death at Mt. Vernon, a riderless horse took part in an elaborate, simulated funeral ceremony conducted in Philadelphia, the then-capital of the United States, with an empty casket symbolizing the late president. The event was described in The Pennsylvania Gazette:

Immediately preceding the clergy in the funeral procession, two marines …

The Riderless Horse in American Presidents’ Funerals Read More

Bereavement thank you notes do not have to be a major ordeal if you use the simple method outlined below. Grief is hard! With everything you have had to deal with lately, the last thing you need right now is the added burden of social obligations. Some time has passed since the tragedy occurred. The out-of-town guests have gone back home, the funeral flowers are all wilted, the sympathy cards and letters are slowing down. Although you are in still in the midst of one of the most trying things a human could ever endure, the rest of the world seems to be getting back to normal.

Now what to do about all those flowers, cards and gift baskets you received? Have you acknowledged those gestures of sympathy and support?

Now, I know that this is not exactly a high priority on your list of things to do right now. Just breathing can sometimes be an effort. But did you know that answering sympathy messages could be therapeutic? Comforting? Look at this task not as a chore to be endured but as an opportunity to reflect on your lost one and a focus for all your “grief energy”.

Those who gave to you expect to have their kindness acknowledged. It’s mandatory. So let’s get to it! We present below a method that will have you taking care of all your sympathy acknowledgments in an evening or two.

I. Get the list ready – First you need to list the name …

Bereavement Thank You Notes – An Easy Way to Get Them Done Read More

In assessing the needs of your grieving person, it helps to fully grasp the conditions surrounding the death. Don’t assume the death of an aged grandparent will be felt the same as one of a 5yr. old child.

Avoid Cliches

“She is out of pain now,” “It must have been her time,” along with “All things always work out for the higher good,” are unlikely to be helpful. Bear in mind, you’ll find no prepared phrases which will take away the person’s pain of their loss.

Words To Avoid Like the Plague:

“Time heals all wounds.” (Merely the passage of time alone does not heal, though it can help. Individuals do need time, but at the same time they need to experience the various stages of grief.)

“There must have been a reason.” (Perhaps not, or at least not a reason that will ever be known or be comprehended by the people left behind.)

Good Things to Say:

“It must be hard to accept.” (Listen about the what’s making it difficult.)

“You must have been very close to her.” (The bereaved can then share stories from their relationship.)

Don’t Think That You Must Have “Something to Say.”

Being there for them is enough. Especially with new grief, your embrace, your touch, as well as your sincere sadness are all that the bereaved might need. Make it a point to call or spend time with the bereaved, regardless of how much time has passed after the death. Your caring will be …

How To Help Someone Through the Grieving Process Read More

If you’ve ever driven through Levittown, Long Island, you’ve seen the paradigm of post-World War II housing. Designed for the young parents who were giving birth to the baby boom generation, Levittown houses were built in accordance with the principles of pre-fabricated housing constructed for servicemen, but they incorporated the “must-haves” of post-war life: big yards, modern appliances, a television antenna, and other conveniences. Promotional photos for Levittown over a period of years show that the evolution of the garage followed major trends in the changing American lifestyle.

The earliest house plans from the 1940s show boxy, Cape Cod-style homes with a living room, dining room, bath, and two bedrooms. There were no driveways: the single car owned by most families was parked on the street. By 1950, the company brochure offered five houses in a modified Cape Cod/Ranch style, each with a driveway leading to a single attached carport. And in the sister suburb of Levittown, PA, in 1954, the developers presented a variety of homes that incorporated the latest essential in home design – an enclosed garage.

Today, if you drive through even the most moderate suburban neighborhood, you’re likely to see a gaping, two- or three-car garage opening directly onto the street, with living quarters sprawling behind and above. The garage has become the façade of the modern American home.

The growth in the importance of the garage has coincided with the presence of more and more cars in the typical American family. When Henry Ford lowered …

Garage Door Read More

Driving a vehicle in order to get to function or go searching is one particular factor, but driving a twenty 3 foot long hearse for a residing is fairly something else. No two days are at any time the same and wide range and variation are big keyword phrases for what the task entails. Join me as I stroll you by means of an normal day in the lifestyle of a hearse driver of over 4 many years.

Does Driving a Hearse Take a Special Style of Person?

Performing for undertakers and being in and all-around that kind of ecosystem surely normally takes a unique sort of man or woman, soon after all they are the unsung heroes of the unthinkable. Coming into motion from the instant a man or woman departs from this earth. It is the undertakers career to eliminate a deceased from the quite area wherever they passed away.

From there the deceased will be transported to either a nearby healthcare facility mortuary for keeping or in some instances more investigation by the coroner or taken straight to the undertakers very own mortuary pending more arrangements by the family members.

A hearse driver not only drives a pretty vital funeral auto, but can in most situations be concerned in the proceedings proper from when the individual passes absent (based if he/she is on get in touch with at that time).

After all of the funeral arrangements have been made and it is the working day of the …

Hearse Driving – A Working day in the Everyday living of a Hearse Driver Read More