November 2019

Page A30 NOVEMBER 2019 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS S ec t i on A ® Free Marketing Support for Today’s Funeral Professionals The Funeral and Memorial Information Council (FAMIC) created Have the Talk of a Lifetime ® – a national campaign that encourages people to find out what matters most to their loved ones, so they can celebrate life when the time comes. We’ve prepared free marketing materials for use in your community, including: print and digital ads, PR materials, social media, and more. FAMIC members can download materials at: FAMIC.org Have questions? Email us at: HavetheTalkofaLifetime@gmail.com undoubtedly thought they knew better, foolishly believ- ing a man’s DNA included knowing how to fix all of life’s many challenges. Assemble Your Personal Advisory Board One way of creating a team of coaches is to establish a support network (I refer to them as a widower’s Person- al Advisory Board). They could be a team of individuals, hailing from your collection of lifelong friends, neighbors, a fellow parishioner from your church, relatives or a select group of professionals (doctor, lawyer, financial planner, life-coach, confidante, etc.) Your Personal Advisory Board represents your go-to team, whose job it is to become fa- miliar with your life situation and advise you as needed. Forming a Personal Advisory Board is a great way to allow another person who is also grieving the loss of your wife to contribute to the healing of the entire family. You could even say it would be therapeutic for them and you. Widowers Need To Be Coachable Continued from Page A26 Widower Chris Sweet tells us how he reached out and found one of his old high school buddies that had previous- ly lost his wife. He and I use to play basketball together but lost touch after graduation. “I felt horrible for him, and I re- member how I didn’t know what to say to him. After some time, I found myself thinking how, given his own loss, he was aware of what I was going through, and might be able to help me make sense out of what was going on with me.” We spoke on the phone and exchanged a few emails. That was all I needed to keep me going a little while longer.” Chris adds, “Just knowing that there are other people out there like me helped. “I didn’t need to become best friends or go out for coffee every day, so we could share stories. I just needed to know they were there if needed.” I asked widower and subject matter expert, Catholic priest Rev. Gregg Elliott if he thought men had a difficult time reaching for help? “I had always been taught to be the rock regardless of the situation,” says Father Elliott. “In the mil- itary, where I spent twenty- eight years, men are taught to be not so much self-suffi- cient but sufficiently strong enough to handle what- ever came along. It is part of the grieving process that men, over time, will reach the stage when they recog- nize how they are in need of help.” The realization of the need causes the widower to muster the courage neces- sary to reveal his need to the appropriate source of relief for his desired help. Grieving will take its toll on the best of men. Those who hope to recover need to mimic the behaviors of our sports heroes. Identify your coaches, your mentors, and your advocates… and then for Pete’s sake, listen to them. Widowers eager to receive group coaching are invited to join the Widowers Support Network – Members Only, a free and private Facebook (men only) page for widow- ers and caregivers of seriously ill spouses. Now, where’s my whistle and clipboard. Herb Knoll is an advo- cate for widowers, profession- al speaker and founder of the Widowers Support Network, www.WidowersSupportNet- work.com. Knoll authored the breakout book, The Widower’s Journey, avail- able at Amazon.com in pa- perback and all digital for- mats. Facebook: Widowers Support Network – Members Only and at Widowers Sup- port Network. Email: herb@ WidowersSupportNetwork. com Office phone: 615-579- 8136. Now offering a Personalized Memorial Line custom greet ing cards • funeral programs memor ial inv i tat ions • t-sh i rts • magnets prayer cards • Canvas Pr ints • full color banners Members of the Funeral Industry Save 10% Every Day! Call today for your FREE Sample Kit I nv i tat ions • yard s i gns pos t ers • s tamp ers • labe l s Bus i ne s s Cards and Forms S eat i ng Char t s • T i cke t s Acce s sor i e s • Promot ional I t ems 8570 Foxwood Court Youngstown, Ohio 44514 800-321-7479 info@boardmanprinting.com www.boardmanprinting.com Funeral Directors Research,Inc. AMRA INSTRUMENT, LLC 623 N. Tower (P.O. Box 359) Centralia, WA 98531 “the shorter the supply line the better off you are” WEB DIRECT GIFT & PRICING TM ® www.amrainstruments.com www.preproomdirect.com mymortuarycooler.com Are you state compliant?