Here’s some advice to help you choose the right gravestone for a dearly departed:  

Ask Before You Choose

Some cemeteries have stringent guidelines for what type of gravestone are and are not allowed, and this is particularly true if you loved one will be laid to rest at a military cemetery. Obviously, you can’t choose a gravestone unless you know what’s allowed in the cemetery.

Here are the most common gravestone restrictions stipulated by some cemeteries:

• Colors: some cemeteries require one color or only “naturally” hued colors. 
• Material: some cemeteries require gravestones to be carved from certain stones (marble, granite, etc.)
• Pictures: some cemeteries do not allow pictures to adorn gravestones.
• Shape: to maintain uniformity, some cemeteries require certain gravestones to be a particular shape and/or size.
• Font: also for uniformity, some cemeteries limit the types of fonts allowed on gravestones.

Design with a Theme

A tasteful gravestone should tactfully encapsulate your loved one’s personality and tastes. Although this process is rarely easy, it can be one way that you and those morning the loved one can help celebrate their legacy.

Here some idea you might consider including on the gravestone:

• Quotes: choosing a favorite Bible verse, line from a song, quip from a movie, maxim from a poem, or a quote from someone your loved one admired can serve as a reminder for what they loved.
• Font: choosing an unusual font will make your loved one’s gravestone feel more personal. When considering fonts, consider fonts that represent your loved one’s style and sense of presentation. 
• Finish: gravestones can be finished in a variety of ways. They can be sanded to a mirror-like sheen or left with a natural matte finish. Before you commit to a finish, it’s important to see completed, full-sized, gravestones in a variety of styles.
• Pictures/symbols: images can “speak” volumes. You can chose your favorite picture of your loved one to adorn their gravestone. You can also choose a symbol of something they loved or were passionate about. 

Honoring someone you love is a big responsibility. Choosing the right gravestone is just one of the ways that you can honor this special person. These steps can help guide you through at least part of the process. For more information, work with a company like Palmer Bros Granite Co.

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Inability To Keep Up With Personal Hygiene

It is important for your family member to keep up with his or her personal hygiene. However, as a person ages and develops various medical problems, completing tasks that may be simple to a lot of people becomes much more difficult. He or she may not be able to bend over, reach up, button shirts, handle small objects like a brush or toothbrush, or stand for too long without risking falling to the floor. If you are starting to notice that your family member is starting to physically struggle and is therefore experiencing a lack of proper personal hygiene upkeep, it may be time to talk to someone about moving him or her to a nice assisted living home.

No Longer Taking Prescribed Medication As Directed

It is not only important for the improvement or stability of one’s health to take prescribed medication correctly, but it can be incredibly dangerous not to depending on what the medication is for. Therefore, it is important to make sure that your elderly loved one is taking his or her medication as directed by the doctor. Check the prescription bottles and count how many pills are remaining compared to how many should be remaining according to the refill date and the daily dosage. If there are one or two pills missing or that are extra in the bottle, you may just want to inquire as to why that would be. It may be nothing more than a pill accidentally dropped into the sink or your family member forget one of their doses of medication one day. However, if you a re noticing that there is a drastic difference in what should be left and what is left, it may be time to seek help from an assisted living facility. The staff there would be able to monitor medication dosages, as they generally keep all of the medication bottles and simply hand out that day’s medication when it is time to take it.

By considering the previous two points, you should have a much better idea as to whether it is time to schedule a consultation with an admissions counselor at a quality assisted living facility in your area, such as United Methodist Village.

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Reading Out Loud Can Build Relationships

Reading out loud is one of the great lost relationship builders between a parent and children. Most children love hearing stories from you and will look forward to hearing new ones every day. And the stories in the Bible are some of the most exciting and engaging in the world!

Not only will Biblical stories entertain your children, they will teach them important moral and spiritual lessons, like:

• Forgiveness
• The strength of God
• Ways to behave properly
• Morals about difficult and complex family relationships

Setting up a daily reading session with your children will help introduce them to these important lessons early in life and prepare them for a life of spiritual and religious faith.

Stories To Read

There are a wide variety of stories in the Bible from which you can choose. Children often enjoy Old Testament stories, such as lessons about Noah and the flood or Daniel and the lions’ den. Reading these stories directly from the Bible or from children book adaptations introduces your children to some of the most important moral lessons in the Bible.

However, there are also a variety of books and short stories that teach Biblical values. Used bookstores are often stocked with these types of books, though many Biblical short stories can be found online. You can either print these stories out or read them straight from the computer.

Engaging Them In The Stories

To make sure you engage your children in the stories and to help deepen their understanding, you need to read in an interesting and engaging way. For example, you could act out the behaviors of the animals in the books (including “roaring” for lions) or talking in a variety of voices for each character.

Another good idea it stop occasionally and ask your child a question about the story. For example, in the Jonah story, you can stop when Jonah is in the whale and ask them how they would feel in a whale. Make sure to encourage them to ask why he is in the whale and how he can get out to get them thinking in Biblical terms.

Why not take your child right to a used book store like pioneerbook.com and help them pick out the books they want to read? This will engage them even further in the learning process and help boost their Christian faith.

The post How Reading Biblical Stories Out Loud Can Strengthen Your Child’s Faith appeared first on Talking About Religious Events.

Find the right temperature.

Remember the story of Goldilocks, who wanted everything to be “just right” in the three bears’ cabin? You want to be like her when setting the temperature of your meditation/yoga space.

You’ll be sitting or lying still, so you don’t want the room to be too cold. On the other hand, a space that is too warm will make you fall asleep, unless you’re practicing hot yoga. Play with your thermostat, mini heaters, or fans, so you achieve the perfect temperature for you.

Declutter your space.

Your physical space is a reflection of your mind, and vice versa. Therefore, you want your meditation area to be clutter free and without visual distractions.

It’s nice if you can paint the walls a soothing color, like pale blue, or if you can hang fabric or artwork to calm your mind. Keep all work and other reminders of “real life” out of sight. Also, make sure your space is free of dust and pet hair, since you’ll be using the floor.

Make it quiet and tranquil.

In addition to wanting a visually tranquil space, you want one that is quiet as well. If your meditation spot isn’t as silent as you would like, try using music, white noise, nature recordings, chimes, or a fountain to mask undesirable outside noise.

Add comfort for your body.

Whether you’re performing yoga asanas or simply sitting in the lotus position, you want your body to be comfortable. A plush yoga mat, a meditation rug, and some pillows are a nice touch. When you’re not distracted by discomfort, you’ll be better able to relax and refocus your mind.

Accessorize as needed.

A few accessories for your space are fine. Depending on what type of practice you follow, any of the following may be appropriate:

• candles
• nature (plants, fish tank, window to a garden, etc.)
• mirror (for yoga or positive affirmations)
• yoga bricks, straps, etc.
• religious icons (Buddha images, Hindu statues, Tibetan thangkas, love beads, shrine, etc.)

Don’t forget about your apparel.

You want your clothing to be as comfortable as your space, and it should be non-binding and breathable. Yoga or tai chi pants are great on the bottom, while a loose top or tank is perfect on top.

These days you can find beautiful yoga graphic tanks and tees that you can wear everywhere, not just in your meditation space. These shirts feature yoga poses, Buddhist sayings, lotus blossoms, and Sanskrit symbols, so you can proclaim your interest in yoga and meditation wherever you go.

Congratulations on taking up yoga or meditation as a healthy and ages-old way of improving both your mind and body. When you follow these tips to create a wonderful space for yourself, you’ll be motivated to take your practice to the next level and make it part of your lifestyle forever.  

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