Do you know where you want to be buried, assuming you want to be buried? It’s a serious and appropriate question that I have been asked by my kids, and I don’t yet have an answer. I should, but I don’t. There are a number of “what if’s” in my response. What if I died tomorrow, as compared to 25 years from now? What if Jolene died first? What if we moved to another community?
There are a couple things I can answer. I do want a traditional Christian burial, and I do want a tombstone. But as to where? Beats me.
If I died tomorrow, I might want to be buried in my hometown of Algona or the nearby community of Whittemore where my father is buried. Maybe. Or I may want to be buried in central Iowa where my kids could visit me (assuming they will be living in central Iowa). Do I buy two cemetery plots, one for me and one for Jolene? Or will she be off with a new husband and buried next to him, leaving me in the dirt with an empty plot by me?
If you live in a community where generations of your family have lived, the answer is easier. But for those of us who have moved around from city to city and state to state, it gets complicated.
Jolene and I have talked about this repeatedly, but we still do not have a decisive answer. End-of-life decisions never seem to be easy, but they can make you smile if you have the right attitude. My old boss Bill Welsh once asked me for a favor in regard to a discussion he wanted me to have with his wife when he died. He said to me, with a stern look, “When I die, will you make sure Ruby isn’t high-fiving people when she walks out of the funeral?” And then he smiled from ear to ear. Bill did pass on, and I waited for an appropriate time to remind Ruby of his request to me. I was hoping it would bring a smile to her face, and it did.
So maybe a little humor is what it will take for both Jolene and me to decide where we want to be buried. After all, we don’t want to make a grave mistake.
Sorry, but I did say a “little” humor.
Have a thoughtful Thursday, and, as always, thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305 | 
