Music at a Funeral

I held onto an article from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for over a year.  It was a feel-good piece by Brian O’Neill about a duo (keyboard and guitar) who play for weddings and funerals in the Pittsburgh area.  What a concept!  I think background music in a funeral home would be comforting.  While I have not experienced this- yet- I think music would be calming.  What are your thoughts? 

Musical selections, in addition to hymns if that is in your tradition, is one more way to honor the deceased and is another option for someone who wants music at his/her funeral to be proactive.  Recently there have been several obituaries that are funny and/ or sarcastic that have gone viral on the internet.  The deceased either wrote it in advance or the family created it as an homage to their loved one.  Planning ahead is the key and sets the stage for the long period of grieving for friends and family.

Please share your thoughts.

Resources for Advanced Directives

While we know we need advanced directives, many of us have not taken the steps to create this document.  Here are several resources:

1.      Five Wishes, https://www.agingwithdignity.org

2.     PREPARE^TM for Your Care, https://www.prepareforyourcare.org/welcome

3.     Put it in Writing: American Hospital Association (AHA),  https://aha.org/2017-12-11-put-it-writing

4.     The Conversation Project, http://theconversationproject.org

This website also has resources for communities to create a Conversation Project Sabbath.  Log on and share the information with your clergy.


And, of course, there is always an attorney who can help you work through your decision making process.