prattnews.com

When my father first told me that he wanted to be cremated when he died, I was pretty surprised. I had always taken it for granted that he would be buried like everyone else in his family, and I would be able to visit his grave and bring him flowers. He insisted, however, that cremation was cheaper and just as humanistic. The ashes could be kept in a funeral urn, where I could keep them in my home and even place cut flowers next to them if I wanted. I would literally have a piece of him with me at all times. I am finally starting to get used to the idea.