A special thank you to all of the men and women who have risked their lives and are continuing to do so to protect our lives and freedoms.  Words cannot express how grateful we are to each and every one of you for your service to this great nation.

No matter what cemetery you choose, you should always ask about three things: rules, regulations and potential future fees.  Just because you paid for your property does not mean you’ve paid everything the cemetery may charge.  Each cemetery is free to set their own rules, regulations and fees.  The “for-profit” perpetual care cemeteries are by far the most restrictive and expensive.  One cemetery may charge a $0.65 per square inch fee, or around $500 for a typical companion memorial, no matter who installs the memorial.  Another cemetery may only charge $100 for staking and permit fees if an outside company installs your memorial, but require your memorial purchase be a certain size, type and color.

Another large expense that can vary greatly between cemeteries is the cost to open and close a grave at the time of burial.  The price for opening and closing currently ranges from as little as $600 at nonprofit cemeteries to as much as $1500 at larger, “for-profit” cemeteries.  Because a cemetery is allowed to determine its own rules, regulations and fees, you should always sit down with a cemetery official to discuss everything before you make your purchase.  It is always best to shop around and get all relevant information before you make a decision.

If you have had any such experiences, please post your comment below.  I’d love to hear from you.

Thanks for reading!
Chelsea Monk

Can’t afford expensive massage therapy on a limited budget?  Try pairing up with a friend or family member who is experiencing the same or similar loss.  Massages don’t have to be performed by a trained massage therapist to feel good.

First of all, be honest with your child about what has happened.  When I was young, I always heard that, when one of my animals died, he went to “Mr. Packer’s Ranch.”  While this did make me feel better to an extent, it was not entirely truthful.  In retrospect, this was perhaps an opportunity my parents missed to help me understand the “circle of life” and how our faith in God plays a comforting role in times of heartache.

Next, always be willing to listen to your child when they need or want to talk about their loved one who is gone.  This can also help you better understand what questions and concerns that they have about life and death.  You can help ease their minds early on, instead of letting  misconceptions about life and death enter your child’s mind.

Next, do not be afraid to let your child see you mourn for your loved one.  This shows your child that it is not only okay, but actually normal and healthy to grieve.  Finally, consider a grief counselor for your child.  Many hospice programs offer grief counseling aimed toward children.

Even if your child is not showing signs of grieving or asking questions, they still likely have questions or concerns about life and death that roll around in their thoughts unanswered.  Anything you can do to foster openness and expression of their feelings will have a positive impact on their ability to cope better, both now and in the future.  Learning how to cope with grief is a gradual process.  Being there to help your child through this difficult stage of life will help your child learn how to cope better with loss throughout their entire life.

•    I cannot have an open casket funeral after donating my organs.
•    It’s against my religion.
•    I’m too old or too sick to donate.

Actually, you can have an open casket funeral after donating your organs.  Your funeral director will need to be informed of your choice before your body is picked up, so that arrangements can be made for the donation.  Next, many religions do not object to organ donation.  If you have any questions regarding your religion’s position on organ donation, I encourage you to speak with a leader in your church.  Finally, you are never too old or too sick to donate your organs.  There will almost always be at least one organ that can be used by someone else who desperately needs a transplant.  If you are in doubt about your ability to donate due to age or illness, you may wish to talk to your doctor about organ donation after death.

Donating your organs after death is a personal choice that each individual must make for him- or herself.  Be sure to discuss your feelings about organ donation with your partner and immediate family, as they will be the ones arranging your affairs when you are gone.  If you decide you do want to donate your organs, it is a good idea to register with your state as an organ donor.  Texas residents can do so here.  Your family will still have the final decision regarding donating your organs after death, but this will make your wishes known to medical and funeral home personnel assisting your family with all of your arrangements after death.

So, what should you do if your monument ever becomes the victim of vandalism?  First and foremost, call the police and file a report.  Next, contact the cemetery officials, your monument company, and your insurance company to see if anyone can help you with the repair or replacement of your monument.  Some monument companies offer vandalism protection that will repair or replace a monument that has been vandalized.  Even if the monument company you purchased from won’t fix yours for free, they may be willing to give you a discount on repairs or replacement since you bought your original monument from them.  Of course, the best outcome would be that the person responsible for the damage is caught and taken to court, so they can pay to repair or replace your monument.

So, who are we?  How are we different from other online monument and casket stores?  The biggest difference is that we are more of a brick-and-mortar company with an online presence.  What does that mean for you?  It means that we do a lot of extra things for our customers that online-only companies cannot offer.

For example, when someone buys a casket from us, their price is locked in.  Period.  Even if they don’t need the casket until 20 years from now and the price has gone up several times, they will never have to pay more.  Many online-only casket stores must ship the casket to you within a couple of days – they won’t hold it for years until you need it.  Sure, you can store it in your garage, but a garage is not the best environment for a rubber gasket or a paint job.  Plus, we include delivery to the funeral home of your choice, as soon as possible.  A lot of the time, we can get our casket to the funeral home within 24-48 hours of receiving the call for delivery.  A lot of your online-only casket stores charge extra for that.  Depending on where the casket is going, how heavy it is, and how soon it needs to get there, expedited delivery can cost you up to $1000 over and above the actual cost of the casket!

Another example is regarding monuments.  Several online-only monument stores cherry-pick their favorite designs and post them online.  Customers can only pick the standard and are not allowed to change things around or add/take away things to their liking.  We are different.  We can send an agent to your home, or we can handle your monument selection directly from our administrative office.  Either way, you get to pick the features on your monument – they are not chosen for you.  Additionally, we install our monuments in the cemetery ourselves within a five-state region and make arrangements with only the best installers outside of that region.  The cost of the installation is included in the price you get from us.  Many other online companies will ship the monument to your home or cemetery and then expect you to arrange for someone to install it, which, of course, costs you more money at the time of install.

As you can see, we go above and beyond what the online-only companies do for customers.  I hope that I’ve answered some of your questions about who we are.  Please feel free to contact us if you would like any additional information.