I preplanned my mother's and my father's funeral. I didn't want to have to organize that in the midst of grief.

death as a part of everyone's life, and respecting that by talking freely and openly about all aspects.

I pre-arranged several aspects of my mom's funeral...
I chose the funeral home, the casket, and asked mom what outfit she would like to be buried in. It worked out very well, since there were very few plans to pull together at the end. We had photos laid out at the viewing, and had a graveside service. It was not awkward. Mom thought it would be good to have things paid for. She was happy to pick out her favorite red dress. Many months went by before her death.Then she was confused. I did not have to guess what she might want....