Archive for year 2014
Silly Joke of the Day
Donna’s husband Mike died suddenly one day. Donna was taking care of the funeral arrangements with the undertaker when she was asked how she wanted Mike’s obituary to read.Donna asked the undertaker, “How much does an obituary cost?” The undertaker replied, “One dollar per word.”Donna then said, “I want the obituary to read – MIKE IS DEAD.”The under taker was an old fishing buddy of Mike’s and he was a little disturbed by such a curt obituary, so he offered,”I’ll make you a special deal since I knew Mike so well. I’ll pay for half of the obituary out of my own pocket.”
Donna’s face lit up and she replied, “Great. I want it to read – MIKE IS DEAD, BOAT FOR SALE.”
Scientist Confirms “Old People Smell”
We’ve all smelled it. And like flatulence in church, nobody says anything.
It’s that odd perfume that comes from Great Grandma Eunice when you reach down to give her a hug.
It’s that odor that wafts through nursing homes.
And now science is here to prove to us what we’ve already known.
Old people have an odd odor that is all their own.
And no, it’s not moth balls; it’s not an old person perfume; it’s not the fact that their skin hasn’t touched bath water in a couple days; nor is it the decade old clothes that have been re-worn for consecutive days (I pull that trick in the winter when I don’t sweat).
In fact, notes Johan Lundström, Ph.D., the lead author of the study, the smell of older people is a universal smell that can be identified from Asia to Alaska.
There’s even a word for this smell in Japan: kareishū.
Here’s the explanation for “the smell” from Dr. Lundström:
The root cause of the old person smell is still a mystery, but the study notes that long-term changes to the skin glands may be involved. Lundström suspects it also may be related to an accelerated rate of cell decay. “As cells die at a faster pace, they might give off a different odor that is unique to people with old age,” he says. (from CNN.com)
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As a funeral director, I know the small all too well as I frequent nursing homes more often that some of the occupant’s family. It’s a smell that has always elicited sadness in me. Sadness for those who sit in waiting, often unvisited by outsiders.
I’ve read before that babies have a certain smell that neurologically encourages attachment in adults. We can actually love our infants more just by smelling them.
So, what does the “old people smell” encourage? For me, it’s encouraged a sense of the holy … a sense of both respect and a degree of otherness. An otherness that’s been created by a recognition of life and death. An otherness that we can learn from.
Next time you smell the “old people smell”, maybe we should just sit and listen (not necessarily to their words) to the holy that’s apart of the end stage of life.
Diamond Burial: Making Cremains Last Forever
The first time I heard of “Diamond Burial”, I thought it was an extreme case of the funeral industry attempting to accommodate the baby boomer inspired market demands for “personalization.” I’m not a big fan of the personalization thrust in the funeral industry as I think it’s both a passing trend and can tend to overlook the real value of funeralization: holistic community creation.
After watching this video, I think I’ve changed my mind on Diamond Burial. The main reason I changed my mind is because — as you’ll see in this video — “Diamond Burial” seems to be taking off in a deeply communal society: China. There’s a truly existential value that the Chinese mother communicates in this video that hits at that “communal creation.”
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Dollhouse Gravestone
This is the grave of Nadine Earles in the Oakwood Cemetery in Lanett, Alabama.
Supposedly, Nadine wanted a dollhouse as a Christmas gift. Unfortunately, she died a week before Christmas Day. Her parents decided to build her a dollhouse on her grave and they filled it with her toys and belongings.
