Grief stinks!

A few ways to help you on your grief journey.
By Erin Brodbeck, LCSW, CT, Director of Grief Services, Center for Loss & Healing

The flowers and music were beautiful, and the photos made you laugh through the tears. You said your final goodbyes, now what? No matter if you are just beginning your grief journey or have been there for awhile, you might not know what to expect next. Grief stinks, period. It's messy. It doesn't go how you want it to, and it definitely has its own agenda. The thing about grief is it might make you feel like you don't know what you are doing. The good thing is that there are people, places and things that can help you on your journey.

People:

• Identify your support team. Your grief journey is too treacherous to go through by yourself. It's important to figure out your support system early on.
• Reach out to support groups or counselors. It's not a bad idea to have as many people supporting you as possible.

Places:

• Find a spot that you find comforting or relaxing. Make it your special place to reflect, meditate or cry if you need to.
• Find a place that you find comforting and will offer support no matter when you there. That might be at church, a relative or friend's house, or maybe it's at the movie theater. It's your place, you get to pick it.

Things:

• Keep a memory box with items that remind you of your loved one. This could be a special necklace they wore or a CD that they really liked.
• Keep a journal. You can write down your feelings every day or special memories of your loved one. You can take it with you to use as needed, or you can use it in your special place to find comfort.

No matter where and when you are grieving, you are certainly not alone. I encourage you to find support and comfort in the people, places and things that can help you along the way. If you need assistance, don't be afraid to give us a call.

This article originally appeared in Sunset Memorial Park's quarterly e-newsletter. Sign-up today to receive news and information on special events happening at Sunset Memorial Park.

DARE TO COMPARE!

SATURDAY,
FEB. 13 AT 10 A.M. at Sunset's Covington Chapel
Come listen to Bart Hughes, family service adviser,
at Sunset's Covington Chapel explain:
• the many advantages of
pre-arranging
• how pre-arranging can save you
and your family money
• how to protect your family from
emotional buying decisions


You’ve spent so much of your life taking care of your family. But there’s one more thing you can do to help them in the future. Have you thought about pre-arranging your funeral?
You might be hesitant to pre-arrange because you don’t like the idea of thinking about death. But pre-arranging allows you to make sure things are done in the way you’d like them, and you’ll know that you’re making things as easy as possible for your loved ones in the future.


We want to help you compare Sunset to your other options. Call to reserve your seat.
(765) 793-4500
Light refreshments will be served.

Sunset’s Covington Chapel • 420 Third St. • Covington, IN 47932








To learn more about Sunset's "Dare to Compare" campaign go to www.sunsetfuneralhome.com/compare

Sunset joins national organization to collect donations for Haiti relief

Danville, IL – On January 12, 2010, a devastating earthquake hit Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The question is how can those of us who are thousands of miles away help?
Sunset Funeral Home locations in Danville and Georgetown, Illinois, are accepting donations to aid in the earthquake recovery efforts. Sunset Funeral Home takes great pride in caring for families at a time of loss. We need your help to support the many Haitian families that need us at this time of tremendous loss.
Your donation will go to the Funeral Service Foundation, a non-profit organization whose mission is to increase public awareness and education of funeral services and the improvement of children's lives.
Sunset understands the power of many small pieces coming together to create something strong. Individual contributions are important and become much more powerful when they are combined. Not only will we be proud of the funds that we raise in our communities, but we will be able to take pride in our part of the contribution powered by caring funeral homes across the country.
Please make checks out to the Funeral Service Foundation. We will be accepting donations in our Danville and Georgetown locations Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., and Saturday, 8 a.m. – noon. Those who donate will receive a memorial wristband for showing their compassion for those in need.
Sunset Funeral Home
3940 N. Vermilion St
Danville, IL 61834
(217) 442-2874
Sunset's Houghton Leasure
Funeral Chapel
200 E. West Street
Georgetown, IL 61846
(217) 662-6700

Trigard Personal Touch™ removes intimidation from vault selection process

Danville, IL - Trigard is proud to announce the launch of their new Personal Touch™ program. Trigard introduced the program at the 2009 National Funeral Directors Association convention in Boston.

The Personal Touch™ program is available on an exclusive touch screen kiosk to help families select a personalized burial vault based on characteristics of a loved one. The program can be customized for each individual funeral home and can also be downloaded on to a laptop or desktop computer. “Many people are not informed about what a vault is and why they need one. It is our job to educate them. The Personal Touch™ program will help get that important information out to the families we serve,” said Linda-Darby Sempsrott, Chief Executive Officer.

The Personal Touch™ program provides personalization by having the choice of adding with honors option or an appliqué. Seeing the personalized vault is what sets this program above the rest. It makes it easy for families to visualize the vault because it is right in front of them.

Angel Jett, Marketing and Graphic Design Specialist and co-developer of the Personal Touch™ software said, “When I see the burial vault options come to life on screen, I realize more and more how vital this process will be to a family and to funeral directors. The selection process can feel overwhelming to a grieving family. Instead of making decisions based on urgency and cost, this program guides families through the process and focuses on what makes a loved one unique.”

To learn more about Trigard's Personal Touch™ go to: www.trigard.com

Don't Miss Sunset in the Night of Lights Parade!

Don't miss our float in the Night of Lights Parade!

Downtown Danville Inc. and Downtown Rotary Club Present...

      WHAT:  Night of Lights Holiday Parade

       DATE:  Thursday - November 19, 2009

        TIME:  6:30pm

LOCATION:  Downtown Danville