Or segue into it with the friend's issues, state your wishes, then ask what theirs are?

Presumably you should be putting the same things in place for YOUR kids... it could be a morbid bonding experience.

Also, a trust for dealing with financial assets can have nothing to do with a medical directive.

Presumably you should be putting the same things in place for YOUR kids... it could be a morbid bonding experience.

Hah--my sister and I went through it one Christmas and are basically on the same page, but my brother in law was horrified at how we discussed it. You'd think he know us by now. (We were both of the "pull the plug once everyone has gotten there/had a chance to say goodbye, and donate anything you can except the face. Because tha would be weird"

Can I steal that language for my directive?

Hah. Of course, Brenda! We also said "have a nice funeral, then burn me up, scatter me someplace cool, and I only need a grave if like, I have kids and they want to go to it. Just or the love of god don't stick my ashes in a closet and leave them there, like Grandma"

Just or the love of god don't stick my ashes in a closet and leave them there, like Grandma

My mom is in a box on the mantel. She wanted her ashes spread over flowers. But the one thing we forgot was that SHE was the green thumb. I'm the black thumb. I'm not going to sprinkle her over flowers I know are going to die. So for now, she sits on the mantel.

Hah--I feel like the mantel is at least a place of relative honor. "I think she's on a shelf in Aunt Pam's closet" is...not.

actually I don't care about the face. You know what they used to say: they used every part of the pig except the curl of the tail and the squeal. As far as I'm concerned, when I'm gone use as much of as will be of value to anyone as is practical. Anything that is useful to treat patients take. Anything useful for medical research take. Anything that is useful for educational purposes take. If my bones are not in good enough shape for anatomy classes, let Buddhist monks convert them into cups and and flutes and so on. (It is part of some (probably not a majority) of Buddhist tradition to craft things out of human bones to remind themselves the life is fleeting and that "everything that is of a nature to arise is of a nature to cease". ) What's left ideally compost, but if that is too expensive then burn or bury at sea - let the scavengers use any part of me that is not of use to humans. I'd be cool with the whole vulture thing too, but vultures are too far away, and transporting my body to an area where they live would not be green.

I am completely up for going to a med school for study. The University of Utah has a program for this. I need to see what formalities are involved with that.