Yesterday was another day that makes me proud to be an American.  Angie and I have been married thirty years and over that time our celebration of the 4th of July has become a quiet, but looked forward to family and small town tradition.  We start with a picnic at my cousin’ s home then attend our small community’s 4th of July Patriotic music show on the county courthouse lawn, and cap it off by making it home to witness the Capitol 4th of July Celebration on television from Washington, DC.

I also received a bulk e-mail yesterday on America’s Independence Day from Randy Reeves, Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs with the National Cemetery Administration.  The e-mail included a video that you can see here about honoring our veterans.  It’s touching and worth watching.  As you watch it remember that we owe our independence to those brave men and women who have defended us from all harm so that we can go about our business.

So, why this message today — and how does it fit into funeral service?  My simple message today is “Tradition and Honor”.  And when you think Tradition and Honor that is what exactly a funeral service for client families should be about.  Pay homage to the tradition of the family and honor the deceased.  The tradition can be anything from the community to the religious rites and the honor is about the life of the individual.

Over the last twenty years lots of things have gotten in the way of the Tradition and Honor.  Families have gotten more distant, disruptive, and extended.  Funeral homes have moved out of the traditional services into other offerings such as grief care, pre-arrangements, green funerals, direct cremation, aquamation, and more.  Those are great tools to help serve those changed families and build our businesses.  And, at the end of the day it is about using those tools to create a service of Tradition and Honor to take care of those we are asked serve.

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