Spirituality
Burying the Dead
by Michell Spoden
Today I am here to talk about a very important topic, one that draws close to the heart. My deepest heartfelt concerns for the unclaimed diseased that have passed and are an utmost priority to discuss. I have read articles all the way back from 2014 on this matter. When I learned that so many people were not able to claim their diseased relatives bodies due to lack of funds to have a funeral service; my heart dropped to the floor. As I thought about it I compared a birth and how these days it is such an important event and so utterly controlled by hospitals and their staff. Why wouldn’t it be just as important for the dead? 
Local city morgues are doing what they can to solve the problem but the one very thing that is missing is the personal touch and the intimacy of family and friends. It is that process we go through in order to come to terms with the grief and acceptance that it’s time to say goodbye that is so important for people. There is a level of honor in that we respect that person. Money should not be the issue that you or I do not show up to a funeral.
I would like to say a prayer today for all of those who were never able to reconnect with a loved one based on not having a funeral. “I bless you this very day to be able to walk in victory over any guilt, shame and or confusion. I pray that you will come to peace with any issues associated with your loss or inability to have a proper parting. I pray for your divine peace and guidance. Amen.”
My mind kept racing on all the ways these sorts of problems could be solved. I thought it would be a good idea for someone to start a web site that would allow different people to share their stories and how they created solutions along with resources. I did a little search and found this site called I’m Sorry to Hear: although this was not my ideal expectation, it was indeed helpful. I decided to reach out to a local priest based on my conversation with a friend who had told me that this particular man would have services for the homeless and volunteers would dress up as the pallbearers and be partakers.
He said, “We do whatever we can to help when we are needed.” I was also invited to a dinner event by a local company that offers all sorts of options for preparing for funeral services for a cost. They encourage people to prepare for their death as soon as possible. I was so shocked to know that they had options to bury ashes in coral reef rocks in the ocean or to be put into a diamond necklace and even in the core of a bird bath. I thought what beautiful options and it’s all on property maintained by the establishment.
In the end everyone deserves a chance at paradise and to be buried in a place to be remembered.
About the Interviewer
Michell Spoden is a survivor of a cold case rape case and author of the book Stricken Yet Crowned. She has an associate’s degree in Business Science Administration and is presently working on her Bachelors in Project Management.
