The historic Locust Grove Cemetery is located in Twinsburg, which is approximately 20 miles southeast of Cleveland, Ohio.  The city is known for hosting Twins Day, a time when twins from all over the world gather to celebrate each summer.  It is also the final resting place of identical twins Moses and Aaron Wilcox, who attracted new settlers to the town by selling parcels of land in the area. The brothers were business partners who married sisters, and they had the same number of children.  Eventually they contracted the same fatal illness and died within hours of each other.  Moses and Aaron are both buried at the gravesite.

For more information about the history of Twinsburg, visit:http://lwkweb.com/twinsburghistoricalsociety

As we begin a New Year, many of us start thinking about the typical resolutions to lose weight, quit smoking or take an exciting vacation.  One resolution that most people don’t think about is taking the time to pre-plan their funeral and cemetery needs.  Here are some advantages of pre-planning:

• Gives you the opportunity to make decisions together with your family.
• Provides your family with peace of mind in knowing your burial wishes are fulfilled.
• Saves money by securing your arrangements at today’s cost.
• Documents your financial information and personal burial requests.

CMS Mid-Atlantic can help you to succeed at keeping this year’s resolution.  Contact one of our qualified counselors for information about our Eternal Memory Guidebook to pre-plan your burial needs.

CMS Mid-Atlantic Eternal Memory Guidebook

This is the time of year when many of us are celebrating happy times such as Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa or the New Year.  For others, this may be a sad time of grieving the loss of your loved one.  To help cope with the feeling of pain and isolation, try to tailor your grieving in your own personal way.  Some points to remember while grieving:

• Acknowledge that you are experiencing grief.
• Create your own rituals to memorialize your loved one.
• Remember that it’s ok to take comfort enjoying the holidays with your family and friends.
• Reach out to others and ask them to lend an ear.

CMS Mid-Atlantic offers a special program to help with your grieving, called Gatherings for Hope and Healing.  Contact one of our offices for more information about the program.

http://www.cmsmidatlantic.com/index.php?s=counseling

Hart’s Island is a potter’s cemetery in New York City where the unclaimed, unidentified or indigent are buried.  The island is run by the Department of Corrections and access by the general public is forbidden and punishable by law.  The cemetery is maintained by prison inmates from Riker’s Island and the city considers it the Department of Corrections’ property.  Family members may visit their loved ones, under supervision at a small gazebo near the island, but they are not allowed access to the actual gravesite.  Advocacy groups for the family members of the deceased are asking for gravesite visitations and better record keeping of those who are interred at the cemetery.

To read an article about Hart’s Island go to:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/30/hart-island_n_1066391.html?ref=new-york

Recently Hollywood Memorial Park began holding community seminars entitled “Everything You Need to Know about Cemetery Planning,” and the response has been great. Please join us for one of our complimentary seminar events to discuss options, financial considerations, final-arrangement planning and more. Refreshments will be served following the presentation.

We have sessions available on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 1:00 pm or 6:00 pm, and on Saturdays at 1:00 pm. To register for an upcoming seminar event, please call 1-888-819-1673.

“A Date that Will Live in Infamy” is the beginning of the famous speech by Franklin D. Roosevelt after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, when he asked Congress to declare war on Japan. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the attack where more than 2,000 sailors and solders died.  The USS Arizona is the final resting place of the crewmen who lost their lives on December 7, 1941 and their names are engraved in marble on the memorial structure.  Out of the 337 crew members that lived through the attack, over 25 interments have been conducted on the USS Arizona for the remaining survivors.

Please take time today to remember those who have sacrificed so much for our freedom.

http://www.nps.gov/valr/index.htm

Restland Memorial Park, located at 77 DeForest Ave in East Hanover, is holding a special vigil in memory of those who passed away this year.  This “Day of Remembrance” will be held on Saturday, December 3, 2011 at 3:00 p.m. in Restland’s beautiful Chapel, with Rev. Matthew Sousa conducting the service.

Kindly RSVP to the office at 973-887-2050 if you plan to attend.

Greenwood Cemetery (located at 1800 Hamilton Ave in Trenton) is holding its annual Seasonal Candle Lighting Vigil Service this Saturday, December 3, 2011 from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm in Greenwood’s Memorial Chapel Mausoleum.

Pastor Keith Marshall of the Macedonia Baptist Church will officiate the service, and the Praise Team Singers from Friendship Baptist Church will provide music arrangements.

Kindly call the office at 609-587-4993 if you plan to attend to help us with seating arrangements.

The History Channel website has an interesting article about Thanksgiving Day Myths. The site brings to light some of the misconceptions that we commonly have about Thanksgiving:

• The pilgrims didn’t wear black and white with buckled embellishments.

• Thanksgiving was based upon an English harvest festival that took place sometime between September 21st and November 11th.

• The first feast wasn’t continued on an annual basis.

The management and staff at CMS Mid-Atlantic wishes you a warm and memorable Thanksgiving Holiday.

On November 19, 1863, Abraham Lincoln delivered one of the most memorable speeches in American history to dedicate the Gettysburg Military Cemetery.  The Gettysburg Address invoked the principals of human equality that are defined in the Declaration of Independence and the sacrifices made during the Civil War.  The Gettysburg National Park and Museum offers interactive presentations and relics from one of the largest museum collections in America.  On this 148th anniversary of the famous address, the memorial features the placement of luminary candles, a parade, and reenactments to commemorate the event.

If you plan on visiting the memorial go to Gettysburg National Military Park