“A new year is another opportunity of seeing life with a little more caring, compassion, maturity and beauty.”
― Amit Ray, Peace Bliss Beauty and Truth: Living with Positivity

After the ball has dropped in Times Square, the confetti has hit the floor, and the parties are over, the new year is upon us like it or not. For millions of people, the new year offers a fresh start and an opportunity to refocus on setting goals and priorities in our lives.  People call these New Year’s resolutions, and they help set the course for the next year and years ahead.

Some people, however, are a bit more cynical. Former major league baseball player Dave Beard wrote, «Many years ago I resolved never to bother with New Year’s resolutions, and I’ve stuck with it ever since.»

Well, you can’t argue that he kept his resolution.

Most of us are at least willing to come up with a few resolutions for the new year. Setting goals is important to help us succeed in whatever we do. Some of the more popular ones are starting an exercise regiment, losing weight, beginning a new course of study, or making a major purchase. With over one hundred years of experience, we at Forest Lawn would like to suggest adding to the list of resolutions things like drafting a will and making funeral/cremation and cemetery arrangements in advance. We have seen too many instances where this has not been done, and in many cases, it created undue stress and frustration.

But are making resolutions really that big of a deal? According to an article on www.discoverhappyhabits.com, almost half of those who make resolutions have kept them six months later. In contrast, of those who have similar goals but do not set a resolution, only four percent are successful after six months.

So, the numbers are in our favor if we set out specific things we’d like to accomplish and make them our resolutions. If you have questions about cemetery and funeral planning, visit us at www.ForestLawn.com or call 1-888-204-3131.

We wish you and yours a happy and successful 2025.