In this story, figuratively, God is the Master Gardner and each one of us is his special plants.  And those of us that are blessed enough to be called parents are the apprentices.  And similar to this story God perfectly selected Luke’s parents to nurture and love him in Ben and Adie.  Many of us are lucky enough to see the sprouts, buds and blooms of our plants while we are here on earth; however some plants like precious Lucas, the Lord has taken home to see him bloom in his garden.
National Cremation and Burial Society is one of the oldest and largest providers of affordable cremation services in the nation. At National Cremation and Burial Society Oviedo we offer arrangements at the time of death, and pre-arrangements in advance. Our staff is comprised of highly trained and compassionate professionals available 24 hours a day. As a full service funeral home, we are able to assist with traditional burial and cremation arrangements. We have a reception area to accommodate gatherings before, during, and after visitations and services. Choose National Cremation & Burial Society, and hand the responsibility for final arrangements over to us. Let us take care of these arrangements so you can take care of your family

Today, about half of people decide that cremation is the right choice for them. Whether or not to be cremated is a personal decision that only you can make. The best way to make an informed decision is to learn as much as you can about it. We have a comprehensive section of information relating to cremation that can help you understand how the process works and what type of questions you should ask in order to decide what’s right for you. Visit our cremation section.

Is a funeral service necessary?


The idea that cremation might interfere with God's ability to resurrect the body was refuted as early as the 2nd-century Octavius of Minucius Felix, in which he said: "Every body, whether it is dried up into dust, or is dissolved into moisture, or is compressed into ashes, or is attenuated into smoke, is withdrawn from us, but it is reserved for God in the custody of the elements. Nor, as you believe, do we fear any loss from sepulture, but we adopt the ancient and better custom of burying in the earth."[85] And while there was a clear preference for burial, there was no general Church law forbidding cremation until 1866. Even in Medieval Europe, cremation was practiced in situations where there were multitudes of corpses simultaneously present, such as after a battle, after a pestilence or famine, and where there was an imminent fear of diseases spreading from the corpses, since individual burials with digging graves would take too long and body decomposition would begin before all the corpses had been interred.
However, more recent LDS publications have provided instructions for how to dress the deceased when they have received their temple endowments (and thus wear temple garments) prior to cremation for those wishing to do so, or in countries where the law requires cremation. Except where required by law, the family of the deceased may decide whether the body should be cremated, though the Church "does not normally encourage cremation."[104]
We mourn our loss of a good husband, father, grandfather, father-in-law, son-in-law, and friend. There is a sense of unfairness that Ralph’s life would end just a couple of years before retirement, which he had many plans for. We mourn his dreams that will never be fulfilled. An old proverb says that: “Life is short, but wide”. Ralph’s life may have been shorter than we hoped it would be, but it was crafted meticulously with his own hands and filled wide with many, many happy moments spent with his family, whom he deeply loved.
           When dawn broke the apprentice ran from his slumber to the amaryllis plant just knowing he would find the plant ablaze with crimson petals, but when he came to the place where the amaryllis should have been, it wasn’t there.  With his heart pounding he looked for the amaryllis at the next table and then the next not finding it anywhere, and when he looked up to see if it was at the next table, he saw the Master Gardner standing there.  The Master Gardner looked at the apprentice and saw the anxious look on the apprentice’s face and asked, “Dear apprentice, what is wrong?”  When the apprentice explained to the master Gardner that he couldn’t find the amaryllis plant anywhere, the Master Gardner smiled and placed his hand on the apprentice’s shoulder and said, “My apprentice, I can see that you are upset, do not worry, I have taken the beautiful amaryllis plant home for me to enjoy and tend to, I know you have loved and taken wonderful care of my precious plant, thank you, well done, dear apprentice.”   

Can you be buried without a funeral?


Through history and up to the philosophical movements of the current era Modern Orthodox, Orthodox, Haredi, and Hasidic movements in Judaism have maintained a strict biblical line against cremation, and disapprove of it as Halakha (Jewish law) forbids it. This halakhic concern is grounded in the upholding of bodily resurrection as a core belief of traditional Judaism, as opposed to other ancient trends such as the Sadducees, who denied it as well as the clear wording of the Torah in Devarim (Deuteronomy) 21:23 "Bury, you will bury him the same day; for the (unburied body) is a curse to God" with both a positive command derived from this verse to command one to bury a dead body and a negative command forbidding neglecting to bury a dead body.[118] Some from the generally liberal Conservative Jewish also oppose cremation, some very strongly.[119][120]

How can I have a funeral with no money?


5 years later my mother passed at home. The central Florida office came to the house and took care of everything. They removed my mothers jewelry, which I hadn’t even thought of, and took my mother away. Before leaving, he asked me if there were any questions. He stayed and answered all my questions. And, again, they kept me in the loop the whole way. She was delivered back to me by a wonderful woman who listened to me fumble and ramble.

Can you be cremated without a coffin?


^ "Cremation". Catholic Encyclopedia. The Encyclopedia Press. In conclusion, it must be remembered that there is nothing directly opposed to any dogma of the Church in the practice of cremation, and that, if ever the leaders of this sinister movement so far control the governments of the world as to make this custom universal, it would not be a lapse in the faith confided to her were she obliged to conform.
The National Cremation Society that my dad had prepaid for was a big help when he passed away this month. Stephen Barreto with the Oviedo office contacted us after he died and was so compassionate, patient and kind to me during such a difficult time. He assured me every step of the way and I appreciated how much of a help he was taking care of all the questions that I never thought of. I highly recommend this company to those making arrangements for their family.
Some people turn to cremation over burial or entombment because of the convenience, finding it more practical or cheaper to handle ashes instead of a body. Others might be squeamish about the idea of decay and are attracted to the "sanitizing" effect of flames, while some people find it fitting with their spiritual beliefs. Whatever the reason, more and more people are choosing cremation.
           When it was time for college, Molly came to the University of Arizona and majored in English. She transferred to UC Davis for just a semester, then came back to the U of A. Molly had a beautiful soprano voice and in these years she frequently played the guitar, accompanying herself. She had a gift for music – by just hearing a piece of music she was able to reproduce it on the guitar. Because of her lovely voice, she was enlisted to sing at many of the family weddings.  In later years, when Molly went to a  class reunion, taking Megan along as her date, many of her former classmates came up and recounted their memories of her singing and playing. 

During World War II (1939–45) Nazi Germany used specially built furnaces in at least six extermination camps throughout occupied Poland including at Auschwitz-Birkenau, Chełmno, Belzec, Majdanek, Sobibor and Treblinka, where the bodies of those murdered by gassing were disposed of using incineration. The efficiency of industrialised killing of Operation Reinhard during the most deadly phase of the Holocaust produced too many corpses, therefore the crematoria manufactured to SS specifications were put into use in all of them to handle the disposals around the clock, day and night.[33][34] The Vrba–Wetzler report offers the following description.


I was fortunate enough to have Stephen Barreto assist me in making cremation arrangements for my husband, Robert H. Shaffer. Mr. Barreto was efficient and professional. He even arranged for the service at Cape Canaveral National Memorial Cemetery, in Mims, Florida. During this difficult time, his constant vigilance put my mind at ease. I would highly recommend National Cremation Services and Mr. Barreto to my friends and family. THANK YOU, MR. BARRETO!
           Molly grew up in  northern California town, but spent her middle school and early high school years in Connecticut. Early on she showed evidence of the lively spirit that was her signature throughout her life. She was a tomboy, climbing trees, hiking in the woods and running around – once ending up on crutches for six months. She adored horses and always chose to go to ranch-style summer camps. During the summers when the family lived in the East, she and Bridget had a farm stand, selling corn and tomatoes from the family garden. By her senior year, the family moved back to California and Molly finished up at Saint Vincent High School  in Petaluma.

The cost factor tends to make cremation attractive. Generally speaking, cremation is cheaper than a traditional burial service,[72] especially if direct cremation is chosen, in which the body is cremated as soon as legally possible without any sort of services. However, for some even cremation is still relatively expensive, especially as a lot of fuel is required to perform it. Methods to reduce fuel consumption/fuel cost include the use of different fuels (i.e. natural gas or propane, compared to wood) and by using an incinerator (retort) (closed cabin) rather than an open fire.


Through history and up to the philosophical movements of the current era Modern Orthodox, Orthodox, Haredi, and Hasidic movements in Judaism have maintained a strict biblical line against cremation, and disapprove of it as Halakha (Jewish law) forbids it. This halakhic concern is grounded in the upholding of bodily resurrection as a core belief of traditional Judaism, as opposed to other ancient trends such as the Sadducees, who denied it as well as the clear wording of the Torah in Devarim (Deuteronomy) 21:23 "Bury, you will bury him the same day; for the (unburied body) is a curse to God" with both a positive command derived from this verse to command one to bury a dead body and a negative command forbidding neglecting to bury a dead body.[118] Some from the generally liberal Conservative Jewish also oppose cremation, some very strongly.[119][120]

Burial is a known source of certain environmental contaminants, with the major ones being formaldehyde and the coffin itself. Cremation can also release contaminants, such as mercury from dental fillings.[73] In some countries such as the United Kingdom, the law now requires that cremators be fitted with abatement equipment (filters) that remove serious pollutants such as mercury.
^ Robert Pasnau, in the introduction to his translation of Summa Theologiae, says that Aquinas is "...quite clear in rejecting the sort of substance dualism proposed by Plato [...] which goes so far as to identify human beings with their souls alone, as if the body were a kind of clothing that we put on," and that Aquinas believed that "we are a composite of soul and body, that a soul all by itself would not be a human being." See Aquinas, St. Thomas (2002). Summa Theologiae 1a, 75–89. trans. Pasnau. Hackett Publishing. p. xvii. ISBN 0-87220-613-0.
In the Netherlands, the foundation of the Association for Optional Cremation[31] in 1874 ushered in a long debate about the merits and demerits of cremation. Laws against cremation were challenged and invalidated in 1915 (two years after the construction of the first crematorium in the Netherlands), though cremation did not become legally recognised until 1955.[32]
Because loved ones are committing the deceased back to the earth, this intimate service is also called a committal service. A graveside service often follows a traditional funeral, but sometimes may be the only service a family chooses. Often a pastor will speak a few words of comfort (think “ashes to ashes and dust to dust”) or the funeral director may share a few remarks at the wishes of the family, but otherwise this service is usually fairly short and simple. 
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