If your deceased relative will be cremated soon, here are the steps you should take as part of your preparation for this event.

Choose an urn and get it engraved

It's a good idea to get an urn before your relative is cremated and to arrange for any engravings you like to put on it to be done before the ashes are put into it. Selecting an urn for a deceased relative can be a cathartic experience, that gives you time to dwell on them and to consider what design they would have appreciated the most or which would have best suited their personality.

Buying and engraving this object before the remains are cremated will mean that you can put the ashes straight into it after you receive them and won't, therefore, be forced to stow the ashes in a random box in your home or in the plain container that they come in when you are given them at the funeral home for several days until you've chosen the urn. This is important. In the days that follow the cremation, you may feel particularly sensitive and sad, and the sight of this person's ashes in a random container might make you feel as though you're disrespecting them.

View videos about cremations online

If you've never witnessed a cremation before, then you should consider viewing some videos about cremations online. Whilst you'll probably receive a booklet and an explanation of what's involved in a cremation from the funeral home that refers to you the crematorium, you may still not feel totally prepared for this experience.

Viewing vides about this subject will give you an idea of what occurs during the process of cremating a person's remains and will mean you're prepared for any sounds the equipment in the crematorium makes whilst it's in use and will know what the entire process looks like, from beginning to end. This will ensure that your efforts to pay homage to your relative by, for example, reciting their favourite poem will not be spoiled by you getting distracted or getting a fright as a result of seeing or hearing unfamiliar sounds or sights. It will also give you the information you need to reassure any other guests at the cremation who might be anxious about viewing this process for the first time.

Reach out to a professional for more information about cremations and what happens during them. 

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