May 2020

Page A8 MAY 2020 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS S ec t i on A mymortuarycooler.com Are you state compliant? Order Direct at 1-800-782-8249 Free UPS Ground Shipping www.mccordcasketsandvaults.com President & CEO Darin Drabing stands in the midst of the felled David sculpture. Forest Lawn to replace beloved replica of Michelangelo’s David Unknown Italian Sculptor (after Michelangelo), David, 1987 (original 1501-1504). Carrara mar- ble. Court of David, Forest Lawn–Glendale. GLENDALE,CA— Forest Lawn’s sculpture of David , a replica of Mi- chelangelo’s classic masterpiece, top- pled at Forest Lawn—Glendale on March 8. The memorial park in- tends to commission a new David to replace the felled sculpture and is exploring the idea of donating the pieces to local artists or an arts school for study and reuse. The be- loved replica sculpture brings the op- portunity to view this masterpiece of Michelangelo’s artisanship up close. It complements the art and archi- tecture that have become a hallmark of Forest Lawn parks, including a world-renowned sculpture collec- tion that includes one of the world’s largest collections of marble Michel- angelo replica sculptures. At this time, it is unclear what caused the fall. Park security noted that the sculpture fell in the early morn- ing. No one was present nor in- jured during the fall. This David was Forest Lawn’s sixth David and was completed in 1987; it is a brother sculpture to a bronze David located at For- est Lawn—Cypress. “The replica of David is a cher- ished sculpture among the For- est Lawn community, and Forest Lawn intends to commission a new replica of this masterpiece to replace the felled one,” says Da- rin Drabing , Forest Lawn Pres- ident & CEO. “The sculpture has become a landmark among our parks, and we are committed to providing the classic art viewing ex- perience to our community.” Founded in 1906, Forest Lawn has been a Southern California landmark for more than a century. With roll- ing hills, sweeping landscapes and a magnificent view of the Los Angeles skyline, Forest Lawn–Glendale is one of Forest Lawn’s most picturesque locations. It features a world-renowned art museum, extraordinary statuary and the Hall of the Crucifixion-Resurrection, home to Jan Styka’s immense painting, The Crucifixion, and Robert Clark’s Resurrection, two of the largest religious paint- ings in the western hemisphere. By Linda Findlay Aftercare responses to what is going on in the world. I gave each participant an opportunity to share what they were experiencing. Most agreed that this time has actually been a time of being able to just be! With having to stay home and not have to run around and navigate their world without their loved one, feels like a sort of respite. I ran a second group for widows. For them, this time has been excruciating, being at home without their loved one, fending for themselves, isolated and alone! I quickly realized that this is exactly what families need. On-line support. I moved all of my groups to an on- line platform. I am told over and over again how grate- ful they are for being able to still meet with the group that they found so much help from! There are so many people that I am talking to, it just breaks my heart. What do I say to a bereaved wife who sobbed, uncontrollably, for 15 minutes? The only thing I can say to her, “Take a deep breath.” That was all I could say. I had no answer or comment about how she was going to get through this horrible time with- out her beloved husband! I had no answer to how she was going to be able to sit, by herself, day in and day out. I simply did not know what to say, but, I stayed on the phone with her for well over an hour, on several occasions. I called her every day for five days. Each call was the same! Here is what is most humbling: a couple of weeks later she called to thank me for “ALL” I did for her. To be honest, I feel as though I did absolutely noth- ing for her, not really! All I did was provide the time and an opportunity for her to experience and share her grief! There were hardly any words used! It reminded me, once again, that what we say is not as important as just being there! The value in the services that we pro- vide can be best felt and experienced when people are home and alone, long after the funeral! Now, with no funeral, our families’ grief support needs are immedi- ate! With the use of virtual platforms, we can provide that immediate support. To conclude for today, how are we all going to get through this and when will this be over? No- body knows. One thing I do know, the funeral di- rectors that I work for are beyond remarkable. They have adapted all of their offerings to accommodate families as best as possible. It is my opinion that the funeral director is the expert in a situation like this – but they are often overlooked. They know what families need at the time of need and they know how to adjust and provide the highest level of service imaginable. They all are to be honored and thanked! They work under the strictest guidelines and unimaginable conditions. They are affected, al- ways, by what is going on in the world! Funeral ser- vice will have its own set of challenges as a result of this pandemic. Only time will tell where this will all end up for all of us. The Next Generation of Grief Support With COVID-19 sweeping across our coun- try and plastered all over the TV and internet, this past month has been very difficult, to say the least. Our families are overwhelmed with grief. We have all spent the last several weeks experiencing a world that is no longer familiar. It doesn’t surprise me that virtual support groups have popped up all over the internet. People are very creative in trying to alter their normal routine to ac- commodate the current situation. My daughter regularly shares what she reads on so- cial media. The topic of late is about how the five stages of grief have hit everyone. She shared that people are describing their reaction to COVID-19 as a form of grief. While I agree that people very well are experiencing reactions and emotions that fit right in with the five stages of grief, my heart breaks for those who have lost their loved ones and who are already experiencing grief. For them, this time has been beyond devastating. Families are denied the option to create and participate in a proper funeral and celebration of life. Government limitations and mandates have reached deep into our world. The families that we are called to serve are the ones most touched by all of this. It is a time of uncertainty and fear. Our families already entered a world of uncer- tainty and fear, following their loss. Grief support is needed today, now more than ever! The internet is a fairly new platform to hold grief support groups. I believe that it is going to be the wave of the future. Our world will be forever changed once we recover from this pandemic. Many things will be changed for the better. The availability of online grief support groups is going to be a com- mon offering. A few weeks back, I decided to hold an on-line grief support group for a local organization that sup- ports families who have lost a loved one due to an overdose. Most who joined the meeting had lost a child. Some lost a close relative. There was a mix of Linda Findlay is the founder of Mourning Discoveries, Grief Support Services. She is a 29-year career Aftercare Coordinator, a published author, and an advocate for bereaved families. She is the founder and co-creator of The Grief Cruises and managing partner with The International Grief Institute. Linda can be reached at 315-725-6132 or Lf6643@yahoo.com. Visit www.mourningdiscoveries.com, www.thegriefcruises.com or www.internationalgriefinstitute.com. 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