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Last week, I attended the ICCFA (International Cremation, Cemetary, Funeral Association) convention in San Antonio, TX. It was a great show - full of state of the art info about social networking, newest funeral trends, and more. I made some wonderful connections, and am looking forward to introducing some new artists in the next few weeks.

Three of the connections that I made were very profound. All of them were other vendors. In conversation, I learned that all 3 of them had suffered profound losses in their lives - 1 husband, and 2 children. They all entered the supplier side of the funeral industry from that perspective. Even though I hadn’t experienced tremendous loss when I started Shine On Brightly, I have since suffered the devastating loss of my husband. One of the new connections told me that the fact that I entered into this industry, and then experienced this huge life change was no coincidence. Another one said, “we don’t choose the death industry, it chooses us.” As creepy as that may sound, these two comments have been ringing in my mind ever since.

I definitely view my work differently now. While I was always passionate about people, their stories, and art, I now feel that this is all meant to be…..Helping people memorialize and honor their loved ones’ lives with art is a vocation for me. And I feel so very fortunate to be in this position.

I heard this parable in a yoga class this week and I’ve thought about it during the last several days. It’s a great reminder……

If a man is crossing a river
And an empty boat collides with his own skiff,
Even though he be a bad-tempered man
He will not become very angry.
But if he sees a man in the boat,
He will shout to him to steer clear.
And if the shout is not heard he will shout
Again, and yet again, and begin cursing -
And all because there is somebody in that boat.
Yet if the boat were empty,
He would not be shouting, and he would not be angry.

- Chinese mystic Chuang Tzu

Today is the 7 month anniversary of my husband’s passing. Along this bumpy road, I’ve learned some profound lessons. The one that continues to ring in my head is that we’re on a crazy ride in this lifetime, and everyday brings an opportunity to be open to beauty and joy. When we don’t look for it, we don’t see it. When we see it, we need to embrace it and bring it into our fold.

When my daughters, sister-in-law, nieces and nephew proposed a ski trip all together in France, I thought of 10 reasons why I “shouldn’t” - finances, practicality, time constraints, blah blah blah. We went, and it transformed all of our lives. We carved out a time to be together with people we love, surrounded by breathtaking beauty, and engaged in physical activity everyday. We all came back empowered, and made big changes in our lives.

So when an urge for adventure or enrichment finds you, no matter how big or small, act on it. It’s definitely worth it!

That’s right! Shine On Brightly is proud to announce an Honorable Mention by ICCFA’s annual KIP Awards for Innovative Personalized Products. Here’s what the judges had to say about us..

• Beautiful pieces of art which would be very personal for a family.
• Attractive urns that sound very personal.
• Really beautiful work, diverse range of products. Press coverage good. Excellent design of marketing materials.
• To create something unique, personal and new to celebrate another unique being is beautiful. It is a full circle. It is honorable. It is holy. A
group of artists dedicated to honoring that light. Inspired.
• Good presentation. Very nice materials.
• Beautiful, contemporary cremation urns. Very personal and creative. Handmade works of art. Personal contact with clients/great testimonials.

2009 Celebrity Losses

This article points to the growing trends among babyboomers concerning taking the way we celebrate our lives into our own hands…Babyboomers to Inject New Life into the Funeral Industry

Interesting article….“>Pet Owners Choose Burial, Memorials, Cremation for Animals

We found this comment on a blog in Business Week online. It refers to the compatability between Google Ads and listings near where the ads are placed.

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