You Can Take It With You?!

[Hazi-Hammenuhoth]

A bit of a strange one, this... My question is, will you have any 'favourite items' buried or cremated with you when you die? We know about the ancient Egyptians getting embalmed along with their cats and gold etc, and the vikings with their servants, and even in some countries today people are buried with food, drink and even cash!

The reason for my question was after a conversation with a friend who's father was an undertaker and had to do with the burial of Roald Dahl. Dahl was buried with a variety of his favourite pencils (he always wrote in pencil), some Cadbury's chocolate (apropros considering his most famous book), a full bottle of red, an electric saw complete with cable and plug, and his set of snooker cues. Quite a fitting, eccentric, and wonderful assortment!

Have you a relative, or heard of someone getting buried with their possessions? What would you take?!

[gness]

Of course there is no afterlife, Quiz....but what we placed in MrG's coffin wasn't wasted as you say.....it was special and still talked about when we think of him......it meant so much to us....much more than skipping the shirt and marmalade would have done...x

[Quizproquo]

For you maybe Gness but not for me.
To me as a survivor of someone with my world view I'd rather it still existed because someone took the time to make it.
It's horses for courses, I appreciate that.

[gness]

If it's skipped...as you suggested...how does it still exist? Is something dumped in a skip and forgotten better than a coffined item remembered with love and laughter?

[Quizproquo]

Burned or buried with them is just as destructive, if not more Gness IMO. Who ever sees it again? No-one. Nothing mine of of any worth would be skipped and I kinow my family enough to know they would make the best use of me, starting with my organs,
If you want to bury goods with your loved ones go for it, but I would rather they had a continuing history.

[gness]

I disagree there, Quiz....the shirt and marmalade have been of much more value than if they had been donated, eaten or skipped....
Other left behinds were put to good use.....
Organs?....Well you don't need to tell me about the value of those....x

[Quizproquo]

If there's no afterlife, there's no need for marmalade in the afterlife. If it makes you happy then fill your boots but to me it's pointless. I get what you're saying but my view remains the same.

[gness]

Of course there is no need for marmalade in the coffin......or the shirt and copy of Which.....it was just MrG...our thoughts about him... comforting at the time and is something we chat and laugh about now.

I dislike the expression...fill your boots.... it wasn't something we wanted to do....
What we did at the time helped us cope with a death that shouldn't have happened...and tempered the sterility of death and a funeral...it made it personal to us.....and that is important.....x

[Theland]

I wouldn't mind being cremated with a bottle of Calor gas.

[gness]

Why, Theland?

[Traci66]

When my husband was buried, the kids put in photographs, a bull dog ornament and and a tub of brylcream.

[maggiebee]

My dad's army beret complete with Royal Tank Regiment badge was buried with him.

[emmie]

we buried the other half in his gardening clothes, because that is how i saw him being more comfortable.

a friend of my mother wanted to put a bottle of gin in the coffin for her mothers sending off, only she was being cremated and anything inflammable was not permitted. how they laughed at that one.

[Theland]

Because, WOW, would Oi be remembered?

[Mamyalynne]

As the man who blew up the Crem and got away, yes.