Signature Sunsets Announces the Availability of Its New Book Entitled "Pondering Leaves" on the Topic of Funerary Pre-Planning

Rochester, NY, January 13, 2014 --(PR.com)-- A Recreational Exploration Of Options For Anyone Who Might Die Someday

Can there really be Fun in advance Funeral planning?

Say goodbye to the dead domain of dreary funeral arrangements. Sparks are electrifying the industry, enlivening the prospects for determining personal preferences and customizing intentions. New products, revised delivery of services, and changing attitudes among providers invite pleasurable pre-planning.

The modern mantra of personalization is the thread tying together concepts, thereby advancing the enticement of reviewing one’s own life history and celebrating the singularity of it. Alluding to colorful personage, an introductory poem captures the essence of human significance: “Individuals are like diamonds… Gems of value and distinction… Each one a coveted jewel.”

With a goal of relevance for final arrangements, meaningfulness trumps expense. Although the high cost of funerals tends to be a popularized impression these days, introduction of cost-conservative alternatives counteracts that notion. By reframing the “funeral of your dreams” through economical measures, the “funeral of your means” can be just as (or more) memorable for family and friends. Comparison shopping unimpeded by the clutches of bereavement may even be enjoyable.

Euphemistically dubbed “the Big One,” this voluminous compendium about death offers a comprehensive range of topics allowing for selection of reference material specifically suited to one’s own inclinations. But just in case readers might feel reluctant to engage in such contemplations, informative content is infused with motivating inspiration and entertainment encompassing comedic vignettes, rhyming quips, word exercises, and other diversionary focal points.

As a decision-making tool for preparing a gift of guidelines for closest comrades, it promotes communication. Family needs are paramount considerations paralleling the pursuit of an individual’s choices.

Though people have acknowledged the value of leaving kith and kin with directional signals for management of funeral activities, they have been reluctant to broach the subject. Instead, distraught loved ones often are left in the dark, clueless and uniformed. Such an atypical conversational resource confers impetus to plan ahead, embellished by unexpected surprises throughout the reading experience.

The writer notes, “This book is my way of extending my hand to anyone who would appreciate companionship in pondering emotional and practical issues relative to one’s own death. So you are not alone. We are on this journey together.”

About The Author:

A former obstetrical nurse educator, Mary Ellen Markant converted to the role of an end-of-life pre-planning facilitator after realizing the joy of orchestrating a memorial weekend to celebrate her father’s life. Having witnessed conventional modes of death management, she promotes revised approaches that reflect an individual’s unique characteristics and personal tastes. Done from the perspective of an event planner, pre-planning is infused with whimsical perspectives of innovative and novel possibilities previously foreign to funeral industry standards.

Mary Ellen perceives this work as a mental health initiative, seizing the duality of potential to fortify planners with a measure of control and satisfaction when still alive, while assuring a contribution to the emotional sustenance of beloved life companions once they have died. Her relevant background includes a master’s degree in nursing education from Columbia University Teachers College, coupled with a history of event planning experiences. She has traveled around the country to visit providers and sites offering services or products of special interest, summarized in blog entries. She is available as a speaker and presenter of seminars or workshops pertaining to varied aspects of pre-planning, in addition to serving as a moderator of discussion groups. Her commitment is driven by an aspiration to revamp attitudes and nullify the commonplace avoidance syndrome, through the introduction of diverse avenues for thoughtfully reaching a state of foresighted preparedness and personal enrichment.

"Pondering Leaves: Composing and Conveying Your Life Story’s Epilogue" is now available from Signature Sunsets by the methods shown below:
ISBN: 780989767477
Price: $29.99 plus tax and shipping
Available via Pondering Leaves website and blog, Amazon and eBay
Sold as a set of two volumes (380 pp. and 409 pp.)
Paperback