January 2021

Page A4 JANUARY 2021 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS Se c t i on A XL industries inc. Call: 406-449-4100 • Visit: www.XLIndustries.com Available Through Quality Suppliers Ladder Racks with adjustable shelves Portable Folding Register Stands Made in USA Quality & Value - Built Just for Funeral Homes! Providing the Best-Designed Tools for Your Services Since 1926. Dozens of products that give you years of service and store compactly when not in use. Lightweight and easy to take to gravesides or churches. Portable Folding Display Table Deluxe Combo Stand www.PremiumQualityUmbrellas.com Buy a Dozen Get a Dozen FREE! Plus FREE 1 Color 1 Panel Print on all 24. No Setup Fee! Large variety of styles, sizes and colors available By Nancy Weil I don’t know about you, but I usually embrace the start of a new year. I anticipate all the possibilities in the year ahead. 2021 is different. I no longer trust it, as I misjudged what 2020 had in store for me (and for all of us.) I only see it as a continuation of 2020, kind of like if it was a movie sequel called 2020 Part 2: The Pandem- ic Continues . I remain optimistic about where we will be as the year ends, but not sure what to do about its beginning. So, I created a list of what I can do this year rather than all of the things I can’t. Perhaps you would like to try out some of the things in this list as well. Say I Love You We work in an industry where we know that there are no more important words than these three. We also know that the time to say them is now. Say them to your spouse, your children, your friends, but most of all, say them to yourself. Love yourself. Fully accept who you are and all that you do. Send yourself flowers or write yourself a lit- tle love note (How do I love me? Let me count the ways!) Eat Food You Can Recognize Healthy eating isn’t difficult. Simply follow this rule. If you know what it is, if it doesn’t come in a package with ingredients you can’t pronounce or recognize, if it spoils rather than stays fresh in its plastic packaging for eternity, then you can eat it. Nothing processed, noth- ing mutated, nothing that is not really food – no mat- ter how good it tastes. As one friend said, “If my grand- mother would recognize it, then I eat it.” Fresh, whole food that your body recognizes and that gives you en- ergy. Food that does not make you want to take a nap after the meal. Food that is, well, food. Create A Sanctuary Somewhere in your home, create a space that invites you to relax. A cozy corner, a reading nook, a place without a computer, TV or other electronic device that lures you away from your peace. Conduct a bed check: Soft sheets? New pillow? Thick blanket? Now rest a while. Have A Hobby Find something you love to do that doesn’t involve work. My dad’s doctor advised him to take up hand- Random Musings hours? Skiing? Golf? Soap carving? Complete A Life Challenge Life is to be lived outside of your comfort zone. Push your- self this year to accomplish a goal that you have never done before. I have walked two full marathons (yes, 26.2 miles of walking) and two half-marathons. This takes a really long time. Lots of time spent walking around the neigh- borhood and then many, many hours out on the course. Yet, it is the most exciting thing I have ever done. Nothing beats crossing that finish line and knowing you have done something that you can put in your obituary someday. Create what I call “Obituary moments” this year. Things that will be listed in your death notice years from now. Honor Your Stupidity Daily Never stop learning. Know that you don’t know every- thing and that the world is a fascinating place full of inter- esting people and new ideas. It is also very, very old with a history that beckons you to learn more about it. Check out www.Ted.com and watch some of the greatest thought leaders of our time or listen to a podcast. These present- ers are passionate, interesting and will allow you to sound smart at your next virtual cocktail party. Plan An Adventure St. Augustine wrote, “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” Where have you always wanted to go? Plan it now. One day this pandemic will be under control and we will be able to travel once again. Until that time, begin your adventure by reading travel blogs, researching local guides and planning your itiner- ary. In the meantime, explore your local region by find- ing odd attractions at www.roadsideamerica.com You may find yourself posing in front of an American Flag made out of bowling balls like I did in Nowata, OK at Chris Barbee’s bowling ball yard art. Stretch Your Spirit Make time this year to deepen your faith, nourish your spirit and discover new ways to express your inner being. Get in touch with the unseen, yet all-knowing side of you through yoga, meditation or fire walking (just kid- ding about the fire walking). Most of all, every day of the year: Breathe deeply. Stay healthy. Love completely. Laugh often. What I Can Do in 2021 Serving as Member Resources Director at the International Order of the Golden Rule, Nancy Weil brings her years of experience work- ing in the funeral industry to funeral directors across the globe. Her professional experience includes serving as Director of Grief Support and Community Outreach at Veterans Funeral Care in Clearwater, FL and at eleven cemeteries in Western New York. Nancy travels throughout the country offering presentations on how to reduce stress, combat compassion fatigue and offer support for those who are grieving through her company, The Laugh Academy. With certifications as a Grief Services Provider and Grief Management Specialist, Funeral Celebrant, Soul Injury Ambassador and Laughter Leader, Nancy is uniquely qualified to bring new perspectives into how to best meet the needs of the families you serve. For more information on how Nancy can help you and your company grow, visit her website: www.TheLaughAcademy.com or e-mail Nancy@TheLaughAcademy.com. FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS www.nomispublications.com Monthly Columns online at ball to ease the stress of owning his own business. My dad is now 90 years young, still playing three times a week and is in the Handball Hall of Fame. While you may not end up in a Hall of Fame, what can you do to pass the time between working and quickly be sent to family, friends and colleagues re- ducing the time spent circulating information. FuneralPlan™ and ShivaPlan™ features include: ease of providing details of a funeral, wake, memorial, shiva gath- ering and aftercare wishes such as contributions, meals, sympathy baskets and commemoration gifts; collect- ing contributions through a secure payment system that streamlines the collection of funds for catering, meals and memorial tree planting; access to an eCondolence.com or shiva.com concierge who can assist the family or coordi- nator with catering, food or family meals; supporters can order same-day hand delivered platters and meals along with an assortment of premium sympathy flowers, food baskets and commemorative products; and the mourning family receives a complete list of all individuals who have contributed, together with their personal messages and return address; and more. Further helping families and their supporters, eCon- dolence.com and shiva.com offer complimentary access to in depth critical information, educational guidance about religious and cultural customs, appropriate verbal and written condolence messages, and curated sympathy and commemorative meals and gifts. As part of the extensive Sympathy Brands portfo- lio, eCondolence.com an d shiva.com connect families and funeral homes through the stages of planning, ser- vice, and aftercare with its consumer brands, proprietary Viewneral ® Platform powered by zoom, and nationwide concierge services. The companies provide a modern ap- proach to end-of-life matters. Sympathy Brands’ strategic partners include best-in-class funeral homes, cemeteries, insurance companies, non-profits, bakeries and caterers to make planning and fulfillment supportive, convenient and seamless. For more information, visi t eCondolence. com, shiva.com an d sympathybrands.com. Funeralplan ™ and Shivaplan ™ Available to on the eCondolence.com ™ and Shiva.com ™ Viewneral ® Platform MIAMI,FL— eCondolence.com™ an d shiva.com™ , the leading companies modernizing the death care in- dustry, has announced that its proprietary FuneralPlan™ and ShivaPlan™ is now integrated into its Viewneral ® Platform, a complete end-of-life service that includes pre-planning new business seminars, online funeral ar- rangements, virtual funeral services, virtual shiva and me- morial gatherings, and online unveilings and dedications. “eCondolence.com and shiva.com offer the only com- plete virtual platform for funeral homes and cemeteries that help increase business, but also dramatically enhance the experience for their families and supporters,” says Michael Schimmel, CEO of eCondolence and shiva. com. “Our FuneralPlan and ShivaPlan make supporting a loved one easier by having all the information in one place and having the ability to click and attend a funer- al or gathering, contribute to a funeral, or purchase an appropriate sympathy basket. Having these pro- grams integrated into the Viewneral Platform makes it even more convenient.” FuneralPlan™ and Shiva- Plan™ are personalized pages that display all of the details regarding a fu- neral, wake, shiva, memo- rial and gathering along with the mourning family’s grief and aftercare wish- es such as contributions, meals and commemora- tions. The FuneralPlan™ and ShivaPlan™ can easily