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What To Know When Composing A Headstone Epitaph
When making final arrangements for someone who has passed away, there are a lot of details that require attention. These duties generally fall to family members of the deceased and may be handled by a single person, or the responsibilities may be distributed to make it easier. One such task is writing an appropriate epitaph for the gravestone.
This is a brief statement or phrase, sometimes a poem or prose, that is inscribed on an individual's headstone or commemorative plaque. It says something about the person it represents. There are several different forms this tribute can take, mostly dependent on the deceased's personality, life choices and who is writing it.
There are some things that practically each grave marker will have in common. Nearly all will contain the person's full name and the dates that encompassed their life. Though a good many individual's choose to stop at just that basic information, others will opt to say a little extra by including statements, sentiments or personal remarks.
These additional statements are quite often short sentiments about how much the individual will be missed, how special they were or wishes for a peaceful afterlife. They might list their familial positions such as child, sibling, parent or spouse, or it may be a record of their time in the military or other organization. Spiritual scripture is also very commonly used.
Some individuals choose to write their own inscription prior to their death. This allows them to ensure that they get exactly what they want on their stone and gives them the freedom to be creative. Those with a keen sense of humor often take this opportunity to make a witty final remark or write an entertaining remark that will bring smiles to visitors for years to come.
Others may take this opportunity to provide a last bit of sage advice to all who visit their stone. This may be a suggestion to live life fully or any other lesson they might have learned while alive. There are no real rules when it comes to what one can have inscribed on their grave marker.
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