First let me announce that the Blenheim Community Funeral Home will be putting up a Christmas Memorial Tree in front of the post office again this year. The Blenheim Community Funeral Home, as well as downtown merchants received many positive comments on the tree last year. We have also had a number of inquires this year to see if we are going to do it again…Yes we will! Although this is a project that we take on ourselves and we include an ornament on the tree for each family that we have served, the tree is meant to be a Community Tree so it is open for all of you, regardless of where you live and regardless of who your funeral service provider was. If you would like us to include an ornament for you, (we are doing this as a Community Service and there is no charge), just give us a call and let us know who the ornament is for and we will place one for you. Alternatively, if you would like to include your own ornament on the tree, feel free to stop by and place one on the tree. The only rule is that the ornament can’t be made of glass. We are so thrilled to be able to provide this remembrance for you and again, we will be lighting the tree the night of the Santa Claus Parade in Blenheim.
Last week I introduced some of the findings of a recent survey of Canadians attitudes toward funerals. One of the findings was that there is a need for greater flexibility and more options in funerals. The study concluded that if the options are there, they aren’t communicated effectively. While there are Funeral Homes and Funeral Directors who have resisted changes over the years, there are also Funeral Homes like ours that embrace change. I have always said that during your time here, our home is your home and that our motto here at the Blenheim Community Funeral Home is “yes we can”, or more importantly “yes YOU can”. Often when I make funeral arrangements I can sense that there is something that a family would like to do but there may also be some resistance to bring it up. Let me tell you, when I think of my own funeral, I envision a warm summer day on the shore of Lake Erie…very casual, maybe even mandatory shorts, sandals and t-shirts (Funeral Home Staff included) and hotdogs cooked over the fire!
