A series of thirteen booklets designed to guide the families you serve through the grieving and healing process has been published by Mark Thomas. Each eight-page booklet is printed in full-color throughout, with sensitive and appropriate color photographs on each page. There is space on the front and back of each booklet for a custom print for the funeral home. The booklet measures 5 1/2" x 8" 1/2".

Funeral directors, along with the clergy, are the first professionals families turn to at the time of a death. Your skill and training are invaluable at such times, and help ease the burden people often feel.

Mark Thomas informational booklets are designed to help guide the families you serve through the grieving and healing process. They are intended to be used in a variety of situations, for a variety of purposes: pre-need, at-need, and as part of an after-care program.

No one would pretend that a booklet, no matter how well-written, can substitute for the concern and caring you offer families. But issues of death, grief and funerals are often topics that people are reluctant to talk about face to face. These booklets can be a way to open the conversation.

"Am I supposed to feel like this?" presents a road map of the grief process. The booklet addresses topics from "What will grief make me feel like?" to "Putting your life back together."
"While grief is normal and natural, it is also one of the most neglected and misunderstood experiences that a person can go through." -from the book

"Talking to children about death" addresses the difficult challenge of discussing the death of a loved one with the children in the family. It assures parents and other caregivers that there are no "right answers" that will make grief and confusion vanish.

"Why do we have funerals?" explains, in everyday language, why funerals are important. Funerals give us permission to grieve, and to realize and appreciate the connections our loved one had established with others. Answers to commonly asked questions about embalming, cremation, caskets and more are given.

"Surviving the death of a spouse" offers strategies for coping with the loss of a lifetime partner. Grief, anger, guilt and confusion often combine in an emotion that feels strange to the one experiencing it, and that is difficult for others to undertsand. Practical suggestions for coping are included.

"Planning a funeral" offers a step-by-step guide of what to do in planning a funeral, including what the family can count on the funeral director for.
"Your funeral director can be an invaluable resource during this difficult time." -from the book

"Pre-arranging your funeral" explains the advantages of pre-planning your funeral, and gives tips on the details that are typically included in pre-arrangements.
"Counseling with a funeral director could well be a significant, educational experience." -from the book

NEW! "What is cremation?" addresses this and other commonly asked questions regarding cremation, including questions about the cremation process, what type of ceremony can you have, and how you decide if cremation is right for you or your loved one.

NEW! "Surviving the death of a child" is a booklet that helps you to cope with one of the greatest of all tragedies. It gives you ideas and suggestions for managing the pain and grief so that you can move on instead of letting it overwhelm your life.

NEW! "Surviving the loss of a parent" is meant to provide some support to anyone who is going through the natural, normal and inevitable loss of a parent. It examines something that we all expect to go through but are seldom ready for the feelings and emotions that such a loss brings out.

NEW! "Facing sudden loss" looks at the issues raised for grieving family and friends when dealing with a death as a result of a traumatic accident, violence or disaster. It examines some of the reactions and feelings that occur with the unexpected death of a loved one.