Denton County Living Well Magazine July/August 2019 | Page 33

SPEAK YOUR MIND
By Rick Allen
M
y dad was, in one sense,
a man of few words. His
words were well cho-
sen and spoken with a
tone of confidence that
literally dared you to challenge him.
While everyone might not agree with
him completely on a particular sub-
ject, it was hard to say that he
was totally wrong because he
whole-heartedly believed in his
position.
When my dad died in 1995,
as a family, we had no doubt
what the appropriate things to
do were in planning his funer-
al and burial. His profession-
al demeanor and desire to be
well-dressed led us to select his
best dark colored suit, white
shirt, and a bold tie. His love
of God and care and concern
for his friends and colleagues
made it right and fitting to
hold his funeral at his church.
His planning in advance and
selecting the exact spot near a
beautiful, large magnolia tree
in the local cemetery where
he and my mother would ul-
timately be laid side by side
eliminated the need for dis-
cussion regarding this final
disposition.
As I sat in the pew, deep in my own
grief, I could not have been more
proud of my dad. The words spoken
by the pastor, a man who knew my
dad so well, recalled experiences
they had shared and words of encour-
agement and guidance that my dad
had offered during difficult times. The
song sung by the vocalist reflected a
life lived by serving others. Finally,
after the prayer at the cemetery, the
bright, blue, crisp December sky swal-
lowed up the colorful balloons we all
released with our personal notes of
“Good-Bye” attached. In spite of how
difficult and sad the that occasion was
for me and my family, looking back,
I now feel so happy and proud that
because we knew our dad so well
and understood his attitudes, creating
a meaningful and appropriate tribute always, be sure family members know
where you stand on important issues.
to his life came naturally. While writ-
ing this article, I have stopped on two
occasions to take phone calls from
people who are currently dealing with
family members who are terminally ill
and near death. Both families are just
now beginning their search for infor-
mation about funeral options and cost.
Neither caller had discussed the sub-
ject with their family member who was
ill, and unfortunately, “last minute”
talks along that line can be extreme-
ly difficult and uncomfortable. So, as ly served as well. Our funeral home is
a proud member of the Veterans and
Family Memorial Care Network. We
are still privately owned and family op-
erated, but as a member of this network
we have agreed to offer certain bene-
fits to qualifying veterans.
As I close this issue’s article, I would like
to offer a word of exceeding thanks to
all of our military men and women who
are courageously serving our country
around the world. Additionally, I want
to thank all of those who have previous-
To learn more about the Veterans and
Family Memorial Care, you can log on
to www.VeteransFuneralHomes.com
or call our funeral home and we can
send you a brochure.
Rick Allen has been the owner of Allen Family Funeral Options for over 35 years
and may be reached at 972-596-8200, or you may visit their website at www.AFFOplano.com.
DENTON COUNTY Living Well Magazine | JULY/AUGUST 2019
31