A YouTube video of a man and his family giving a waitress a $500 tip is making its way across social media sites. What makes this video special isn’t that the man gives this waitress a $500 tip. It’s the explanation the man gives the waitress for his generosity.
The man in the video is the brother of Aaron Collins, who recently passed away. Aaron Collins was known in his little community as a big tipper at all his favourite restaurants. His last request to his family was to have his body cremated. He then asked for the money the family would spend on a funeral reception to be used as a tip instead. He requested his “funeral” be the whole family going to the kids’ favourite pizza restaurant and the family leaving a $500 tip at the end of the dinner.
Collins had a big family with many kids, which the video made clear. The video began with multiple cars pulling into the parking lot of the restaurant, and children hopping out and into their mothers’ arms. A group of moms and dads with their kids walked into the restaurant with smiles on their faces. This was Collins’ idea of a celebratory alternative to his funeral. The kids could all come, have fun, and remember times they had with him.
This is only one man’s idea of what he wanted his funeral to look like. The video inspired many people to imagine more flexibility around the idea of a traditional funeral. It was especially inspiring to families with kids. For many standard funerals, parents are reluctant to bring their children. But the video gave families an opportunity to consider more kid friendly alternatives to the traditional funeral.
Most funeral homes, such as the American Cremation and Casket Alliance, will tell you that there is no right way to conduct a funeral. It is about respecting the wishes of the deceased, and the wishes of the family and friends that are grieving.
Funerals are meant to create an experience for loved ones to mourn together but also to celebrate the good times with the lost loved one. Collins’ story inspired families to plan memorials with more of a focus on the latter. Collins’ idea is one kind of alternative: a family dinner with the kids, while celebrating a unique quality of the deceased’s life.
Another idea is what Collins’ brother did in addition to the dinner. He started a nonprofit named after his late brother and collected donations. The nonprofit used the money to give families dinner at a restaurant and to leave a $500 tip.
If you have lost someone and also have kids, this is an additional funeral alternative that won’t exclude children. You can start a scholarship fund or nonprofit in your loved one’s honor. But you can make it special by centering the idea on a unique quality of your loved one’s personality or life, as Collins did. Many parents really agonize over the decision of whether or not to bring children to a funeral. These are ways parents can plan memorials that don’t exclude children and can skip that painful situation altogether.
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