Monthly Archives: August 2019

funeral homes Trenton, NJ

How to Handle Grief at the Office

Everyone who’s thinking about funeral homes Trenton, NJ shouldn’t have to think about work as well. However, life is never easy. Unless you’re extremely lucky, you still have to make money after your loved one dies. That means you have to go to work.

In the U.S., your employer is only obligated to give you three days off when your spouse or child dies. Some companies have more generous benefits. Regardless, at some point, you’re going to have to go back to the office.

Be Professional

Focus on doing your job and doing it well. It will keep you from falling apart. Your coworkers want to be human and let you grieve but they have to worry about keeping the machine running. If you share too many details about how your loved one died, it’ll be very distracting and will it make it hard for you to get back into your routine.

Maintaining your professional persona is hugely beneficial.

Get Therapy

This isn’t something that you can do at work obviously. Dealing with extreme grief on your own is incredibly difficult. Therapy helps you process what happened to you. It’s a good idea to see your therapist before you go back to work.

That way, you can discuss specific strategies to help you cope.

Go Remote

More and more companies are embracing work environments. It’s possible that your employer will you to work from home, especially if you’re dealing with fresh grief. There are benefits to working at home.

If you’re sitting in your living room, it doesn’t matter if tears are streaming down your face while you type. If you need to stand up and yell or scream or just move for a minute, it’s okay. Nobody’s watching.

Connect

You can always try connecting with your coworkers without focusing on your loved one’s death. Talk about something else. Being social can make you feel better. It’s a reminder that life goes on and that you’re still part of humanity. After you experience a devastating loss, it’s easy to want to cocoon yourself in insolation. You may feel as though nobody on earth has anything to say that can comfort you.

However, that’s not true. A brief, pleasant conversation with your coworker is a mood-lifter.

The office may be the last place that you want to be after your loved one dies. Still, you need to make the most of it. Losing your job won’t make anything better. It will simply increase your stress and give you fresh things to worry about.

Behaving appropriately is necessary for your career. If you don’t think that you can handle, try to take more leave. You should be able to use your sick leave.

The entire team at J. Allen Hooper Funeral Chapel is prepared to help you in your time of need. Visit our convenient 41 W Trenton Ave, Morrisville, PA 19067 when you need to speak to us. Or you can call us at (215) 295-7725. Your loved one’s funeral can’t wait.

cremation services for pets in Levittown, PA

Pet Funeral And Cremation Services

Losing a pet is never easy. However, just like funerals can make the loss of a loved one a bit easier, funeral and cremation services for pets in Levittown, PA can help ease the pain a bit, and help you remember and celebrate your lost furry friend.

Planning pet funerals and cremations starts with deciding how you want to send your friend to his final resting place. Pet cremation is one great way to memorialize your pet. You can scatter the ashes somewhere special after the cremation, or keep them in a pet cremation urn. Pet burials are another common and more traditional option. You can bury your pet in the comfort of your own yard, or in a special cemetery dedicated to pet burial.

Read also: Cremation Vs. Traditional Funerals

You can also plan a pet funeral or memorial service to go along with the body disposition. You can hold the service at your home, where you plan to scatter the ashes, in a funeral home, or in the pet cemetery. Be sure to choose a location that allows you to express your grief in a healthy way, and sets you up to properly begin the healing process. Also, be sure to get any necessary permissions or permits before you host a ceremony in a public space, especially if you plan to bury the pet or scatter the ashes.

Just like a traditional service for a deceased person, a pet funeral or memorial is an honorable way to memorialize your pet’s life and say goodbye in a constructive way. There are many different ways you can celebrate your pet in a memorial. For example, you can invite friends and family members who were a part of your pet’s life, or understand how important he was to you. Gather around the grave or ashes and share pet memories or stories. You may also choose to play music, read poems or share feelings.

You can ask attendants to help eulogize, say prayers, or just talk about how your lost pet made them feel. Bring along special stationary, cards or paper on which people can write down their feelings or thoughts. This way you can hold onto these ideas and memories to go through later on when you miss your pet.

Read also: Traditional Funeral Homes and Burials

Also just like traditional funeral services, most pet funeral and memorial services can benefit from some sort of visual representation of the deceased. You can craft a small tribute or viewing in the memory of your pet by decorating a table with memories of your lost pet like tags, collars, favorite toys or photos. If you chose to cremate the body, you may also choose to display the urn for the viewing.

Loss is never easy, even if the loss was your pet. Ease the pain of loss a bit by choosing to honor your pet with Levittown, PA cremation services or a funeral. If you want to learn more, contact J. Allen Hooper Funeral Chapel by visiting 41 W Trenton Ave Morrisville, PA 19067, or calling (215) 295-7725.

funeral homes in Levittown, PA

Memorial Jewelry

You cared deeply for your lost loved one, and obviously, want to memorialize him or her in a respectful but special way that is just as unique as he or she was. Some funeral homes in Levittown, PA offer a service that can help you do just that: memorial jewelry.

What is memorial jewelry? Memorial jewelry can come in many forms, from necklaces and rings to lockets, pendants, and bracelets, but every form is a special reminder of the deceased.

Most memorial jewelry is made through a similar process. Once a body is cremated, the family sends the remains to a jeweler. The remains, consisting of minerals like calcium phosphates, are combined with molten glass gold, silver, platinum or other materials using special encasement methods to mold the remains and the metals together. The goal is this molding is to display and protect the cremated remains.

Since every person’s chemical makeup is slightly different, every piece of memorial jewelry will have a slightly different chemical reaction, resulting in different colors, shapes, and patterns. In other words, every piece of memorial jewelry will be just as unique as the person it’s made from. Families can also choose to include items like hair or dried flowers in the jewelry piece for even more uniqueness.

If you’re considering memorial jewelry for your lost loved one, there are a few things you should keep in mind:

  • Material – Though you can have memorial jewelry in almost any material, you should think about how and how often you’re going to wear it, as some materials are more durable than others. For example, if you’re making a ring that you’re only going to wear on special occasions, resin is fine. However, if you want to wear the ring on a daily basis, you need a stronger material like silver.
  • The Deceased – Also keep in mind how the deceased would want to be memorialized. Think about his or her styles, preferences, and even interests for inspiration. How do you think you could best memorialize your lost loved one?
  • Style – You should choose memorial jewelry in a style that you will actually wear. If you don’t like big pendants, maybe choose a small bracelet or locket. Be sure that you choose a style that fits your comfort level, or consider a piece that is simple and timeless for the coming generations.

Memorial jewelry is just one of the many options you have to memorialize a lost loved one after a cremation. If memorial jewelry isn’t for you, you can always choose a more traditional method like a displaying the remains in a cremation urn, scattering them, burying them, or putting up a headstone.

If you want to learn more about memorial jewelry or have other questions about Levittown, PA funeral homes, J. Allen Hooper Funeral Chapel can help. We have plenty of industry experience ready to put at your disposal. Please pay us a visit at 41 W Trenton Ave Morrisville, PA 19067, or give us a call at (215) 295-7725 today.

Yardley, PA cremation service

How To Help A Grieving Friend

Loss is never easy, whether its right after a Yardley, PA cremation service, or long after the funeral or memorial is over. If you see a friend or loved one suffering through a loss, it can also be hard to know how to help. Get some inspiration with these 12 tips:

  1. Don’t Avoid: It may feel easier to avoid a grieving friend, but it’s the worst thing you can do. A hug, kind word, or a supportive presence can go a long way. If you cant think of what to day, a simple “I’m sorry” is all you need.
  2. Share: It can be helpful to hear similar bereavement stories; so don’t be afraid to share. It makes people feel better to know that others have gotten through the grief.
  3. Don’t Talk About A Dead Pet: In that vein, never compare their loss to your loss of a pet. It’s not comparable, and can be very insulting.
  4. Let Them Cry: Crying is an important part of expressing grief, so never say “don’t cry.” Its ok to just be there when someone is crying, offering a hug or tissues, or even just a calming presence.
  5. Support Past the Funeral: Grief doesn’t stop after the bereaved leave the funeral home, so your support shouldn’t either. Keep checking in throughout the following weeks. A phone call or a text of support is great. Don’t be offended if they don’t want to talk, as grief can make concentrating or talking difficult.
  6. Help With Everyday Tasks: Grief is physically and mentally debilitating, so it can be hard to accomplish seemingly easy tasks like cooking or cleaning. Help out by offering to cross things off the to-do list like grocery shopping, cooking a meal, or mowing the lawn.
  7. Provide Funeral Help: It can be hard to plan and host a funeral, and help is always welcome. Even a small thing like bringing flowers or offering to go with them to sign the death certificate is meaningful.
  8. Let Them Bring Up Religion First: Don’t make it about religion until the bereaved do. Everyone has different beliefs, and you don’t want to accidentally offend.
  9. Laughing is Good: Don’t be afraid of making them laugh. Offer up silly stories of your day, or even happy memories of the deceased.
  10. Mention the Deceased: Don’t be afraid to talk about the deceased. You might make them cry, but that’s ok. It feels good to know that the deceased isn’t gone from everyone’s thoughts and memories.
  11. Note Big Dates: Note important dates like birthdays or anniversaries, and be sure to reach out around those times for extra support down the line.
  12. Remind Them Grief Isn’t Short: Be sure to express that you understand the grieving process is lengthy, and that you will be there throughout. Bereaved can feel lonely or even abandoned after leaving the funeral home, so make sure they know you’re still there.

If you want more guidance on helping friends during grief, or want to learn more about cremation services in Yardley, PA, please contact J. Allen Hooper Funeral Chapel by visiting 41 W Trenton Ave Morrisville, PA 19067, or calling (215) 295-7725.