Check out the article at this link and tell me what you think. Some of this is way out there, but the gal who wrote the book makes it believeable and understandable.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=aQS1ODb4kQSg&refer=home

Hi, Dotsie: One of the daughters of a deceased parent had a guest spot on a British show a few years back. I can't quite remember whether it was the father or the mother who had passed away but the daughter did subscribe to the carbon/diamond manner of immortalising remains and she had it on show at that programme. To each his own, I suppose but one thing I am sure of, I would like to "rest in peace" when I am gone and not be dangling on my daughter's ear lobes or flashed about as an ornament. I don't think she would like that idea either. The eco conscious way seem to be much more edifying of a sense of unity with all that is around us. My funeral plan calls for my cremation when I am gone with a proviso that some of my ashes are to be strewn in Fatima, Portugal - the rest to be in an urn which I hope to make myself.

Nope, no diamonds for me! I just want to be tossed into the ocean....:--))

But I think a memorial service of some type provides closure. It's painful, but people can grieve in a group and the energy is different. It's good if it's peaceful and there aren't a lot of unresolved issues running around. So, I guess that's one thing I want to make sure of -- clear up the unresolved issues of those around me that they have with me!

I saw some of those diamonds made from the remains and they are really beautiful, expenive too....Me, I am going to be cremated and placed in a blue crystal vase like sealed container on my sons mantel. Thats probably the only way I will ever get to see him as much as I want to...LOL

I'm sorry, but this thread kind of makes me chuckle. My Dad and Mom were adament that they never wanted to be buried "six feet under", so made us promise we would have them cremated and then spread their ashes somewhere.

So Dad died, we did as he asked, but Mom couldn't bear to part with his ashes. So where did he end up? On her shelf of knick-knacks which had always been one of the banes of his life throughout their marriage. We just thought it was too funny.

Then when Mom died, my brother bought a special cabinet to store both sets of ashes until we could decide what to do with them. So there they sit, side by side, on this shelf with all of Mom's favourite knick-knacks (and some of Dad's favourite things too - his pipe and football bobble head, among other things). Someday we'll all go to Newfoundland and build a cairn overlooking Brigus Harbour (where Mom grew up) and set their urns inside the cairn (with a little window looking out over the water, of course - Mom would hate to not have a window!)

I'm so glad we can laugh about it now. Never thought I'd be able to laugh about it, but shows how far I've come healing-wise (thanks to everyone here!)

It's cremation for my husband and myself. We would like the cremains to be offered to the ocean, by our family members. Although I used to joke with my daughters, that they had my permission to feed their plants with mine, if they had a mind to do so.

On the Eco cemeteries...I thought the practice of embalming, etc. was in order to prevent burial areas from becoming breeding grounds for disease. According to the below article, I guess I was wrong:

Burrying Tradition by Gig Schlich
http://planet.wwu.edu/winter05/tradition.htm

www.intouchwithjeannine.com

Eagle,

Your story makes me happy. I have a nice image of your parents' urns surrounded by their cherrished possessions. I can almost hear your dad complaining as well...

Yes Jane, me too. It's just too funny that after years of bewildered frustration tolerating Mom's penchant for collecting these knick-knacks (mostly from the charity second-hand store that she worked in) and displaying them on dusty shelves, never to be picked up or used again - that he too should end up on one of those same dusty shelves.

My brother's cabinet isn't QUITE as dusty, since it's all closed in with glass doors - and it IS a lovely collection of cherished possessions - but I can imagine Dad heaving a huge sigh of resignation... but we don't intend to leave him there forever - one of these years we'll get ourselves together and build that cairn overlooking the ocean.

My Hubby says he's going to have me stuffed and placed in my favorite spot...opening the refrigerator door.

LOL. when my GD was about 2, she loved to do that whenever she visited here...open the refrigerator door and just look. She would have spent hours "just looking" if I hadn't kept dragging her away! She never seemed to actually WANT something, just liked to look.