Wednesday, November 17, 2010

What Funeral Webcasting Could Have Done For My Family

Growing up as part of a large, tight knit family, we were always there for each of life's special occasions. Whether it was a birthday, a graduation, wedding, or funeral, the family came together to celebrate, reminisce and laugh. It's what got us through good times and bad.

As an adult, I find my family fractured. Not in a family fight or disturbing way, but just broken up over the shear distance we now live from each other. Gone are the weekends at the lake in Pennsylvania, the family reunions down the Jersey Shore and the convergence on a banquet facility for a special event.

The main interactions we have now are virtual. My close knit family is now my virtual one. The cousins with which I skipped rocks with on the lake, threw Frisbees with on the beach, and drank root beer straight from the keg and laughed and laughed and laughed again with -- are now avatars and text messages.

In many ways having a virtual family is definitely better than losing touch. I still see the pictures from birthday parties, new additions to the family tree and will occasionally be reminded of an adventure my cousins and I had during our youth. Our chats are sometimes reduced to 140 characters, but sometimes that's part of the fun.

Several years ago, when I heard my favorite Aunt had only hours to live, I booked a flight home. I didn't make it in time, but I was there with the rest of my family for her funeral and it was beautiful. The church was packed. My Uncle delivered her eulogy. There wasn't a dry eye in the building.

What was missing though, was my Father, her only brother. Having been ill for quite some time he didn't have the strength to attend. The flight home, the long drive to the country and the stress of the funeral would have been too much for him to bear. So, as we sat together as a family in a small country church in Northeastern Pennsylvania, my Dad sat at home in Florida -- alone with his memories of his sister.

Had funeral webcasting been available, my Dad would have been able to say good-bye. He would have been able to see our family together and had been a part of that special day. He would have loved the eulogy as it was filled with special memories and funny stories.

I think missing the funeral was something that weighed heavily on him. He often would say with regret that he wished he wasn't confined to the house and could have been there. I wished he had too. The family needed him and he needed us.

The best place on the web to learn more about funeral webcasting is Frazer Consultants. This company has a solid reputation of developing high performing and reliable technology for the deathcare industry. They also have a beautiful selection of funeral keepsakes and holiday remembrance ornaments.

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