Wunderlich

Below you will find many memorial and remembrance ideas that you can use to keep the memory of your loved one alive. After the funeral, memorial service or life celebration many people wish to have something permanent as a reminder of the person that they loved and lost. It may help to think about what was important to the person you lost. What did they value? What made them smile? Perhaps by beginning there, the appropriate memorial will present itself. Here are 10 ideas that may help to guide you.

- You can plant a tree in their memory. You can find tree seedlings on the internet. You could also buy a tree at a local nursery.

-Have your love one's photo placed on a stamp. This also would be ideal for the thank you notes you will be sending for the flowers, donations and the help you will be receiving. Get more information here http://photo.stamps.com/PhotoStamps/learn-more/. On the anniversary of their death or on their birthday, consider sending a card or a memorial gift to close friends and relatives.

- Donate a memorial bench, if they loved golf, their favorite golf course may welcome the donation of a memorial bench. You may also consider purchasing a plaque or a brick in their name to help fund a community project.

- Have a star in the sky named after your loved one.

- Plant a section in the garden each year with their favorite flowers, you also may want to add a stepping stone or rock with their name on it in their special section of the garden. Consider each year sharing flowers from that section of the garden with the family and friends of your loved one.

- Start a college scholarship in their name.

- Create a video or DVD from photos and video or movie clips. This video can be played at family gatherings and on the persons birthday or anniversary of their death. You can also easily make copies to share with close friends and relatives.

- Create a book of memories for the deceaseds family. Have friends and family write on note cards and include the note cards with photos in the book. You may also want to include newspaper articles about the deceased, the obituary etc.

- Create a memorial on the web there are several websites that allow loved ones to memorialize the deceased through video, pictures, and voice recordings.

- Keep a journal of your memories, your thoughts and what you learned from your loved one.

Dealing with a loss of a loved one is so difficult. Its important to do what brings you peace-of-mind. Focusing on a memorial may help you through the grief process and allow you to focus on the unique and positive aspects of your loved ones life and how that life can be remembered and celebrated for years to come.

Mary Hickey is an urn designer and thought leader in the funeral industry. She is co-founder of Renaissance Urn Company, based in San Francisco. For some drastically needed new life celebration ideas, contemporary memorial poems and verses visit her site http://www.nextgenmemorials.com. Hickey can be reached at hickey_mary@hotmail.com.

Dry eyes is a condition that affects up to 30% of the population. The typical dry eye sufferer is female and middle aged.

At around this time of life the near vision starts to deteriorate due to the normal aging process. This is easily remedied with reading glasses, but of course, it is not that easy to apply or remove make-up with a pair of reading glasses on.

As an optometrist, I have seen some eye make-up that looks like it was intended to be make-up for the theatre.

Problems arise if the make-up is applied too thickly or in the wrong place.

While the oils in the skin and the eyes are cousins they are not compatible. If eyeliner is put on the eyelid margin then it can act as a bridge that that allows the skin oils to contaminate the tear oil.

Mascara that finds its way down to the base of the lashes can also form a bridge for contamination.

When the oils from the skin get into the tears, this produces a disruption of normal tear function causing the tears to break down too quickly resulting in the symptoms of dryness.

Problems can also occur with faulty eye make-up removal. Some dont actually remove their make-up they just let it wear off with the help of a rinse from regular tap water. Others use Vaseline, baby oil or other make-up removers that have a thick oily base. This does not mix well with the natural oils in the tear film. For an easy, complete removal do not use the waterproof type of make-up because it is so hard to remove without resorting to industrial strength remover. Light make-up can easily be removed by using a gentle soap such as baby shampoo or a hypoallergenic cleanser such as Novatis Lid care. Simply shampoo the eye lids with the finger tips. Do this morning and night. If heavier make-up is used, then after using a commercial make up remover be sure to shampoo the lids to remove any residue from the cleaner. Some have an aversion to getting soap in their eyes, but if baby shampoo is used this shouldnt be a problem.

After make-up removal it is time to apply moisturisers.

Difficulties can occur when moisturisers are used close to the eye. The type of oil in moisturisers is not compatible with the oily layer in the tears. If the oil from a moisturiser gets across the eyelid barrier then it can cause the tears to rapidly break down causing a dry eye problem.

The best type of moisturiser to use is a re-hydrating cream which will not affect the oily layer of the tears.

While it seems such an innocent part of the daily routine, faulty application and removal of eye make-up can be a contributor to the symptoms of dry, gritty, burning eyes that many women in middle age experience on a daily basis. Often they suffer in silence unaware that there are many easy strategies and home treatments available for dry eye.

Andrew Gay is an Optometrist with an interest in dry eyes. He is the publisher of http://www.insider-guide-to-reading-glasses.com in which he gives the inside scoop on reading glasses. Visit his website for more information on dry eyes and its management.