celebrating the final years

Our loved ones deserve our time and attention, especially when they're in their last years. You'll always want them to know exactly how much they mean to you and how much you love them. Whether you live nearby or far away, there are several ways that you can celebrate with your loved one during their final years.

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Spend More Time with Them

Whether you're visiting them in person or talking to them on the phone, you should spend a lot of time communicating with your loved one. Once they're in their final years, you won't want to let a day go by without telling them how much you love and appreciate them.

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Ask Them to Tell You Stories

You can think you know your aging parent, but when they start telling you stories about their youth, you'll realize that there are so many things you never knew. Write their words down in a diary, or better yet record them, so you'll have a lasting memory of their entire life. Also, there are many great books and tools to help guide the way. For example: Allison Gilbert has written a book specifically about keeping memories alive.

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Make Plans for the Future

You might be surprised how many loved ones want to play an active part in their end of life experience. From choosing the flowers, to picking out a cremation urn, you might find out that they'd enjoy the process of having some say in their final arrangements.

While you might steer towards a colorful adult urn, you might find out that they had something more subdued in mind. They might even hope to stay as close to you as possible, in which case they might wish you, their friends or other relatives to have cremation urn bracelets.

When you give them a chance to make their wishes known, you might also find out that they would prefer a biodegradable urn for ashes or even a metal urn for ashes. There's no way for you to know exactly how your loved one wants their final wishes carried out unless you give them an opportunity to speak up and give you input.

Although it might make you feel sad as they help you with the arrangements, you can rest assured that you're doing exactly what they wanted you to do when the time comes. Even if your loved one has many more years of happiness and laughter ahead, you'll both have peace of mind knowing that their final plans are in place for when the time comes.

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If Your Loved One Is Already Gone

There's no way around it, losing a loved one is one of the most difficult things you'll ever go through. We know how hard picking out a cremation urn and finding closure is to you, and that's why we're here to support you throughout the entire process. To alleviate your grief, you might also consider having a yearly celebration of life in honor of your loved one. You'll be able to gather with family and friends while you reminisce about your loved one, how much you loved them, and how important they were to you. Compassionate Friends is a useful and great opportunity to connect with others who have gone through similar experiences through social media.