Funerals are to respect the last wishes of the dead.

Funerals are for the living to mourn how they need.

Most funerals are still planned by the nation’s 22,000 funeral homes, which work with families to provide what they often are guessing to be what the deceased would have wanted. But some families are beginning to think outside the box. Literally.

Caskets painted with designs such as flags, sport emblems, religious and animation scenes have become an ever-increasing business. There's even eco-friendly coffins and 'green' funerals.

The allure for some is the unique tributes are a last way to bid farewell. But do the deceased appreciate these gestures or is it more of a way for the living to contribute to their own, very important, mourning process?

The difficulty today in honoring the wishes of the dead is that many times, the living are not comfortable discussing any end of life issues. Such denial of the inevitable means at the time of the funeral those responsible for planning the funeral must guess at what should be shared. And often that means making decisions based more on what the living feel comfortable with than what the deceased may have wished for.

Willliam Griffith, author of “Tears In A Bottle: Learning how to grieve well”, says, “I’ve done my share of funerals of persons I’ve never met, and family members struggle to define the meaning of the person’s life. At such a time the content of the funeral appropriately focuses on the grief and loss of those who attend.”

People are often afraid they will “break down” and cry at a funeral, as if that is not to be expected when confronting death. Some often tell others in the family to ‘be strong’ and specifically ‘not to cry.’ However Griffith contends, “It is important to include in the funeral service words that help interpret the feelings of grief as normal so that persons will be assisted in their grief work.”

Funerals themselves have moved away from traditional settings like churches or funeral homes in a large effort to make those who mourn feel more comfortable to do so. Many funeral directors now offer more hospitality in comfort items like food, videos productions remembering the deceased and even letting outside ‘funeral concierges’ or ‘funeral planners’ come in to work with them.

So what’s the right emphasis on staying traditional or breaking way out from the funeral norm?

Griffith believes it’s different in almost every funeral, with almost every family. For example he says, “the focus would be different for a family who for six months has been dealing with the dying process in a hospice setting, compared to a family dealing with a sudden tragic accident or a child’s death.” He adds, “There is such a contrast in the emotional needs of those mourning that it is impossible to state just one view can fit every situation.”

Ideally, most believe the funeral ought to include both the last wishes of the deceased, but also provide support and comfort to the living.

The key to discerning may just be what is best for making the funeral plans, is having confidence in the person chosen to lead the funeral service, whether that be a Funeral Home Director, Clergy or even Funeral Planner.