The Price of Looking Good for Eternity

I may have heard it all now!

As you know, there’s been a recent boom in cosmetic procedures, all in hopes that we will look better for a little longer.

And, it turns out, the dead are no exception.

As the population has becoming increasingly sophisticated about procedures to enhance their appearance, so have their requests, morticians say, for smoothing lines, plumping lips and even boosting sagging parts for that last big special occasion—their funeral.

“People used to say, just throw me in a pine box and bury me in the back yard,” says Mark Duffey, president and CEO of Everest Funeral, a national funeral planning and concierge service. “But that’s all changing. Now people want to be remembered. A funeral is their last major event and they want to look good for it. I’ve even had people say, ‘I want you to get rid of my wrinkles and make me look younger’.”

Morticians have always performed a bit of cosmetic magic when it comes to recapturing the lifelike appearance of a person who’s passed on. What's happening now, however, is some people are making advance arrangements for these final touches and in ways they never used to even think about.

“I’ve had people mention that they want their breasts to look perky when they’re dead,” says David Temrowski, funeral director of Temrowski & Sons Funeral Home in Warren, Michigan. “Or they’ll say, ‘Can you get these wrinkles out?’

These recent cosmetic concerns come as no surprise to Dr. Anthony Youn, a Michigan-based plastic surgeon who’s practiced in Beverly Hills, California, and appeared on the television show “Dr. 90210.”

“Society is unfortunately getting more and more vain as time goes on,” says Youn. “Fifty years ago, no one would have thought about how good they’re going to look when they die, but now that’s probably something the ‘Real Housewives of Orange County’ talk about. If they die, they want to look good in their casket. It’ll be one last time to show off their new outfit and their plumped lips.”

What do you think? Would you go this far to look good in your casket?

When you think about it, what’s different about having these procedures done after death and before going to your final resting spot? Isn’t vanity vanity?

Share your thoughts. I’d love to hear your opinion.

Monday's A+ Award of the Day

Today’s A+ Award goes to Mrs. Jana Trabert. I rather doubt that you’ve ever heard her name, but after reading this story, I hope you will not soon forget her name.

Here’s the story.

It’s not every day that a happily married woman slips off her wedding ring, once-and- for-all, grinning from ear to ear. But for an Orange Country resident, Jana Trabert, taking off her ring this past spring was a joyous moment.

And, her husband didn’t mind. As a matter of fact, her husband, who is still very much in love with her, is thrilled with Jana’s new found freedom. And he completely supported her decision!

Keep reading. You don’t have a clue what the rest of the story is yet. Jana said, “I’ve always said to myself that I didn’t want to be ordinary. Yet here I am the most ordinary housewife in Orange County, in the middle of something extraordinary.”

You see, Jana sold her wedding ring and donated the proceeds to a charity, With This Ring, to help drill wells in Africa. But Jana isn’t stopping there. Since that momentous day when Jana took off her ring, the Traberts no longer feel bound to their possessions—as a matter of fact, they are selling their house and simplifying their lifestyle so that they can help even more.The Traberts say that Orange County, California, is roughly the same size as Yendi, a region in Ghana stricken with disease due to lack of clean drinking water. “Orange County Gives Back is our chance to give from all we have, to share with our brothers and sisters in Yendi. It’s a reminder that we have more wealth on one finger than most of the world’s residents see their entire lives,” says Ali Eastburn, founder of With This Ring. “Orange County Gives Back is a collaboration of local businesses and individuals to raise the $160,000 needed to drill 20 wells in Yendi.Eastburn founded With This Ring in 2007 after she sold her own wedding ring. She now encourages other women to do the same. To date, 50 women have donated their rings, resulting in two completed well projects this year.Eastburn emphasizes that a donated ring not only brings clean water to Africans, it changes the giver. That is clearly evident in Jana Trabert. Eastburn says of Trabert, “To see Jana now, you would think that she has always been a world changer. It is only when you hear her story you learn that the change has been recent.”I’m not sure I want to recommend to my wife to donate her wedding ring or engagement ring. However, I greatly admire the Trabert’s commitment to helping others around the world.

I’ve been in one worship service where people felt led to give personal items to help others. After the 2005 Tsunami, our church committed to rebuilding homes in Thailand. The pastor challenged us to give to help. In less than a day, we raised over $125,000! Yes, you read that right! Sure, some people gave large amounts of money. However, we witnessed women giving their wedding rings and men donating watches. We saw families giving their automobile to the church, to be sold and the money going to help rebuild homes. That was a moving service and powerful testimonies of what God was doing came out of that service and the services to come. Several hundred homes were ultimately build because of the sacrificial giving of so many in our church.

Mrs. Jana Trabert is great example of sacrificial giving. Way to go! Mrs. Trabert, you definitely deserve the A+ Award of the Day! I admire your commitment to this cause! I admire your husband’s support. A+ may not be enough to recognize what you’ve done! Well done!