“This year, I’ve been to four funerals and a wedding. The wedding was a wonderful contrast to the sad family gatherings which preceded it.
First, my aunt then my mum (they were sisters and very close) followed by a cousin and a family friend, who was much younger than I. There were two burials and two cremations. These events made me think about my preferred funeral.
Ideally, if my body can be useful in any way, organ donation is the first priority then perhaps scientific research. The next priority is to be as ‘green’ as possible and there seems to be a couple of options: natural burial in a bio-degradable casket in a woodland or, as an alternative to cremation, alkaline hydrolysis (which leaves bones to convert to ‘ashes’ plus water that is safe to release into the ground).
Also known as liquefaction, resomation or bio-cremation, this seems to be the future as it environmentally friendly and leaves virtually no carbon footprint.
Bea.”
Bea was thinking of buying one of our mini-memorial enamelled hearts to give to her cousin for a small amount of ashes. She kindly agreed to write this entry for our blog.
