I woke up today…which is a plus.  I have a job  I love, a comfortable home, a great family and my health is good.  I realized how thankful someone should be with so much going for him, so I wanted to tell everyone, “thank you”.

To all of the families who let Calumet Park serve your cemetery and funeral needs, you are appreciated.  We know there are other choices of cemeteries and funeral homes, and we thank you for choosing Calumet Park.

The entire staff dedicates each day to making such a tough time for you go as smoothly as possible.  It may only be two words, but I wanted to thank the funeral home staff led by Sherry Williams, the grounds crew led by Tim McClure and Tom Music, the office staff led by Misti Ferkull and accounting lead by Dianne Correll.

A special thanks to the family service department as they face each day knowing that the people they meet will be grieving, and they go about their business in a professional and caring way.

Subject: FWD: OBITUARY PRINTED IN THE LONDON TIMES

An Obituary printed in the London Times…..Absolutely Brilliant!!

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as: – Knowing when to come in out of the rain; – Why the early bird gets the worm; – Life isn’t always fair; – and maybe it was my fault. Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don’t spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge). His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition. Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion. Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn’t defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault. Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement. Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason. He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers; I Know My Rights I Want It Now Someone Else Is To Blame I’m A Victim Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.

It may be snowy and cold, but we are not that far away from Spring.  Think back on Christmas…wasn’t that long ago, was it?  About the same amount of time into the future and we will being enjoying sunny days again, with a little warmth as a bonus.  If you want to make sure your special person’s memorial is in place by Memorial Day, you will need to get it ordered soon.

Call now to set up a private meeting with one of our Family Service Counselors who will help you design just the right tribute….769-8803.

And remember, the new veteran columbarium will be dedicated on Memorial Weekend.  It will be an octogon shaped feature with a carved in granite statue on top and will have a very special place in our Veterans Section.  Such a feature is filled with niches for cremains for the discriminating individual who prefers cremation followed by permanent placement in a garden of honor.

Call now to find out about the pre-construction savings.

Sports events seem to have taken over much of our lives.  If it is not the Superbowl, then its the World Series or the Kentucky Derby or whatever sport turns you on.  Every sport has its special day.  It is being reported that over 100 million people tuned in the watch a bunch of huge men pound the you know what out of each other for an evening in Indianapolis.

More avocados are

sold on Superbowl weekend than any other time of the year.  I can’t imagine how many beers were drunk or how much money changed hands as people bet on everything from who would win the coin toss to what color of uniform would be bloodied first.

I get it.  I was one of the 100 million.  I was entertained and my attention was diverted from all the political bashing and inhumanity of man being perpetuated against each other.  The Superbowl allowed me take my mind off the pressures of a rough economy and of all the starving children in the world…and the millions of people starving for love and attention in our own neighborhoods…at least for a little while.

But, this Superbowl Sunday was different for me.  Without naming names, I would like to share a story that is being played out even as I write these words.  To protect the innocent, I will use fictitious names.  Sadly, most people reading this could change the names for those of someone important in their own lives.

Once upon a time, just a week or two before the Superbowl, Joyce got a call from a friend.  The friend, Sue, told Joyce that her elderly mother was diagnosed with cancer, and that she was not strong enough to go for treatment, which means her mother will soon pass away.  On the day before Superbowl, Joyce was asked by her friend Sue to come to her house and sit with her for what was, in the old days, called a death watch.

Sue is scared, and not sure what is going to happen having never seen a person die before…let alone a mother whom she loves so dearly.  Joyce had worked in hospitals, and stayed with people until their last breath on a number of occasions.  It is not fun, and it stays with a person when you hear that last breath and feel life leave a body.  Touch a dead person once and you will remember the feeling forever.  Joyce agreed to go to be with her friend.  Joyce has a special gift that makes her simply being there a comfort for those of us that do not handle stress and loss very well.  By the way, who gives comfort to the comfort givers?

As I write this, the last breath has not yet escaped Sue’s mother’s body.  The football game is history.  We will all go back to our normal lives tomorrow, except for those of us who never guessed that we would lose someone important to us before day’s end.  A look in every newspaper tomorrow will show the score, and stats, and MVP  of the Superbowl, and hidden on the obituary pages will be found those who died on Superbowl Sunday.  For all of their loved ones, the question of “ …so what?” is their new reality.  So what if New York won the Superbowl?  So what if a couple in California won the lottery?  So what if their house is small, their car is getting old, their bills are stacking up?

This is not meant to be a depressing article.  I would rather have it be a reality check for all of us.  What truly matters is our families…and those we love.  When you wake tomorrow, and the fun of the game is gone, give your husband a hug.  Play with your children.  Love your wife.  Call your mother, or brother, or an old friend and let them know that they are important to you.  Simple acts of kindness do not have a “bowl” named after them, though it would be nice.  Can you imagine?  The Kindness Bowl!  It has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?

So, enjoy those special diversions that occur throughout the year.  Just remember to live each day as though it is your last.  If it was your last day on this earth, would you spend your time all revved up over Superbowl, or would you rev yourself up to letting those you love know that they are on your list of those you love?  Someone important in your life needs your attention today.  Just for a moment, make them feel as though they are winning their Kindness Bowl ring today, and you are the commissioner of their life who will be honored to make the presentation.

For information on advance planning of a funeral, call 769-8803 or go to calumetparkcemetery.com 

Call now to reserve your space. We currently have a total of $500 savings that includes our normal veteran discount and an additional $225 as a pre-construction savings. You can prearrange with 10% down with no interest. The artists reditions shown will be done in granite and there may be minor changes, but the overall effect will be as shown.

The idea of having a place of honor for those veterans and their families who prefer cremation came from discussions with some of the local American Legion Commanders. The suggestion to have a place dedicated to the memory of these individuals has prompted Calumet Park Cemetery to make the investment in this one of a kind memorial. It will now be up to the many veterans who call Lake and Porter county “home” to support Calumet Park Cemetery’s goal of meeting the needs of our entire region.
Call 219-769-8803 or check out our website calumetparkcemetery.com

The winner of the first place award is Cypress Hills Cemetery in Brooklyn/Queens, New York. Cypress Hills was founded in 1848, has over 300,00 burials and is the final resting place for many historical and public people.

CLICK ON ARTICLE SHOWN FOR FULL SIZE, EASY TO READ PRINTED PAGE FROM AWARDS’S ARTICLE

So, its a new year…so what? For some, life will go on unchanged unless something outside themselves pushes and shoves…illness, or accident…job loss or lottery win. For others, the new year will trigger a desire to wipe the slate clean and start again. Perhaps weight loss is a goal. What better time to start than with a clean calendar in front of you? Or, stop smoking or start caring a little more about someone or something besides yourself?

It is a new year. The possibilities are endless. Pick something that is important to you and do it for 21 days. The people that study such things claim it takes just that much time to develop a new habit. I have found that it takes 21 consecutive days, so if you fall, get up…dust yourself off…and start another 21 days.

Time tends to pass so quickly, and before you know it, I will be saying happy new year to the year 2013. How many new and good habits will you have developed during the next 364 days? It is truly up to you, you know. You get to decide to be a certain weight, or to do your job a certain way, or to help others. I have a couple of habits that I would like to replace with new and healthier ones that will make me a better person. I will let you know on December 31, 2012 how it went.

Until then, happy and healthy new year to you all, and I hope love and peace fill your life this year.

Many people come to a funeral home and tell a funeral director that all they want is a basic cremation.  Quite often, what they perceive a direct cremation to be and what it actually consists of is miles apart.  Open the attachment and you will be able to review the new educational tool that Calumet Park Funeral Directors and Family Service Counselors will be using with families starting January 1, 2012.

It is hoped that this approach will help families understand their options and make it easier to make good choices for their foray into cremation.  There is more to it than meets the eye, or in this case, more than meets the word “cremation”.

If you have questions, call 219-769-8803 (cemetery) or 219-736-5840  (funeral home) and our expert staff will be happy to answer any of your questions, including how to prearrange and pre-pay your funeral and cemetery needs.