Planning a funeral is never easy, especially when someone you love dies.  Planning a funeral while the individual is still alive is another thing.   My suggestion would be to plan their funeral while they are still alive so they can answer some of your questions, help decide what they would like to have, etc.

Let me explain.  Mom Craft is still living, 94 yrs young, heart: 30%;  kidneys: 13-15%; body fat: very low protein level which is way below level; very sharp minded; great spirit; poor body.

 Dawn, my husband and I had talked with Mom about funeral arrangements while she was still very healthy, living on her own and giving us instructions for what she would like to have when she died.  We were advised this week that we should think about planning her funeral and getting it paid for prior to her needing Medicaid to live out the rest of her life.  Thus began a journey of love.

Using these instructions as our guide, we planned her funeral yesterday.  We went to the “FAMILY” funeral home (family because The Craft, the Lowery, Cooperider, Wixtead, and Gorenflo have used the same funeral home for the past 30 years), sat down and began a long, frightning journey through books, etc. to find the right casket for Mom.

 What a journey!   After pouring over 2 books of caskets, we finally agreed upon one that we felt “looked” like Mom.  She is such a sweet woman, kind, generous, loving, tender hearted that her casket had to the “right” one.

Afterwards we started figuring out the funeral service.  They gave us two options - both terribly expensive.  Adding all the costs together, I saw the funeral director add another figure to the bottom with nothing written beside it.  I asked him what that amount was for. His reply, “taxes”.   Yep, the state gets their portion of burial.

After all the paperwork was filled out with our requests, copies made for each of us, it became time for Larry to write the check.  I noticed his hands were shaking.  It was so hard for him to finish this journey with this writing of a check. 

Prayerfully we won’t need to exercise these arrangements for quite awhile.  Each of us sees Mom in so much pain that we would like to have it over for her.  Only she knows when it is time and God will help her through it.

In the meantime, we are there for her.  Simply put, we love her.  Her dreams, goals and blessings goes out to all of her family.  She has always been our prayer warrior and now it is our turn to take up the prayer warrior title and pray for each member of our family.  Many of our family has been saved because of her prayers.

Tobey Anne Craft

http://www.tobeyscandles.com