Writer's Block: R.I.P
ever since I was small, I have not wanted to be cremated.
I think that desire came from the grandeur of having pallbearers walking the casket containing the body down the aisle of the church, to be placed before the altar, with flowers covering it. Then after that, the image of going to the burial and watching as the casket was slowly lowered into the ground- of having flowers tossed down onto the casket, or of someone tossing dirt and earth on top of it.
As i grew older, more and more family members were cremated, because of our Christian beliefs: "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust..." That, and cremation was cheaper than a body burial.
Now that I'm 30, and I have seen more deaths and burials, and being even more secure in my faith, I don't think it matters so much anymore, because you aren't actually there. The burial is one half for your family and loved ones and one half, to dedicate your earthly body, and your soul to God, in Heaven- which is where I will go.
Both of my grandparents were cremated, and they didn't have a casket for me to watch lowered into the ground. For my grandfather's service in 1999, they had already buried his cremated remains. When we buried my grandmother on July 3rd, 2011- my mother and I were driving around her hometown before the burial, and we drove to the cemetery, and to my grandmother's grave- and we saw the circle-shaped hole in which her remains would be buried. We saw the circle-shaped piece of earth that would cover her remains. We went to her service, where her box of remains were placed on a stand, and the pastor dug out some dirt and sprinkled them over my grandmother's box of remains. During the service, we didn't see her placed in the ground.
On the way to the airport the next day, my mother again took some time to go to the cemetery because I asked if grandma had been placed underground.
So we saw her grave site, and I saw the circle-shaped piece of earth that they had placed above her box of remains, which had flowers placed above it.
She already had her gravestone made.
So, now, I don't think it really matters what is done with my body when I die- because it doesn't matter.
I won't be here. I'll have a new body, which will join up with my soul in Heaven. with grandma & grandpa.