Take One Of These Approaches When It Comes To Scattering A Loved One's Remains
The process of scattering the cremated remains of a loved one is the culmination of the series of challenging days that you've had since the loved one's passing. Whether there has been a large funeral or just a small gathering with immediate family, visiting an area that held importance to your late family member and releasing the remains into the air is a solemn ceremony. It's important to think about who will actually do this job. There's no right answer in this case, but you should think about the duty and discuss it with your family members in advance of the ceremony. Here are some options to consider.
A Member Of The Clergy
In many cases, you'll have a member of the clergy presiding over the ceremony. He or she will likely read some pieces of scripture, share some memories about the person who has passed away, and give those in attendance some words of comfort. Given this person's importance in the ceremony, you may wish to ask him or her to have the honor of scattering the remains at the end of the ceremony or at an appropriate time within it. Many clergy members have done this job in the past, so you can count on this person being respectful and handling the important task properly.
Spouse Or Children
Another approach to consider is to have the spouse or children of the person who has recently passed away scatter the cremated remains. One of these people may be you, so you'll want to assess how comfortable you feel with this idea. For example, if your spouse has passed away, it's logical for you — as the surviving spouse — to be the one to handle this duty. If the person who passed away has been predeceased by his or her spouse, it's logical for the person's adult children to scatter the remains together.
A Group Effort
Including everyone in the job of scattering the remains can be a nice way to involve the family members in attendance. Obviously, the group can't technically be too big, but you may wish to pursue this idea if the group is of the right size. One option is to pass the urn around and have each person sprinkle a few of the cremated remains onto the ground or into the water. If the group is small, it might be feasible to have everyone place a hand on the urn and scatter the ashes together in one action.
For more information, contact companies like Final Care Cremation Services.
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