Erickson Funeral Home

06/02/2026

Life is far too brief to keep the tender truths locked inside our hearts. Say the words while you can. Tell them they are beautiful—not just in how they look, but in how they show up in the world. Tell them how deeply you love them, how their laughter, their kindness, their very presence has left an imprint on your life. Let them know they matter, that knowing them has changed you in ways you’ll always be grateful for.

Moments pass faster than we realize. A blink, a breath, and what felt certain can slip into memory. So be brave. Take the risk. Speak with honesty and softness.

Share your heart before fear convinces you to stay silent. Love out loud, without waiting for the perfect time. Because in the end, it is the words spoken, the love expressed, and the courage to be real that remain long after the moment has gone. ✨❤

06/01/2026

The lens we look through will determine what we see. Will we see beauty and loving kindness, or will we see envy and fear. Will we see amazing sunsets, beautiful flowers, and nature in all its glory, or will we only see the path ahead as our brains are consumed by endless thoughts.

Instead of seeing a particular situation through the lens of fear, change it to the lens of love. This is perhaps the most powerful lens to change, and the two lenses that most of us use most of the time to view the world through.

Love generates joy, bliss and happiness. Fear generates worry, anxiety, and disharmony.
You will always easily know which lens you are using, based on how you are feeling.

Here are some other lenses to consider changing: instead of the lens of frustration, change to the lens of patience; instead of resistance, change to the lens of acceptance; instead of boredom, change to the lens of awe; and instead of ordinary, change to the lens of extraordinary.

By changing the lenses you view life through, you literally change your life. You may not change what you have, but you will change how you feel, and that will change your view of what you have.

05/30/2026

Start today with a smile on your face, hope in your heart, an openness to the needs of others, and a willingness to keep going. Whether we manage to find joy in the daily struggle of life is largely dependent on our ability to persevere through even the toughest adversity without ever giving up. No matter how dark it seems, Hope and Faith will light your way.

Ten truths you need to know for inner peace and happiness:

🌿 The people we surround ourselves with affect the way we think, feel, and behave. Engaging with people who lie, gossip, bully, or cheat takes a toll on our well-being.
🌿 It may seem like staying inside our comfort zone is the key to feeling good in life. But avoiding discomfort always backfires in the end. Face your fears, venture into unknown areas, and test your limits. Know that being uncomfortable is tolerable and allowing ourselves to experience discomfort is the key to living a better life.
🌿Thinking everything is hundred percent your fault, whether it's a failed relationship or an accident will affect the way you see yourself and the world around you. We can't always prevent bad things from happening. Although we are all responsible for our own choices, but there are always factors beyond our control that can affect the way things turn out.
🌿Thinking that we need to be happy all the time will backfire. Momentary pleasure is much different than long-term satisfaction. We have to be willing to put in the hard work it takes to gain contentment. Refuse to give in to instant gratification or temporary indulgences. And instead look for ways to build a brighter future by creating long-term goals.
🌿Thinking the world and the people in it are out to get us will prevent us from being our best. In fact, if we blame all of our problems on external circumstances we'll never take responsibility for our life.
🌿Don’t waste your life trying to impress people or trying to make others like you. As depending on people’s admiration gives others power over you. Instead, try to focus on living according to your own values.
🌿Striving for excellence is healthy. But insisting on perfection is an uphill battle. You'll never feel good enough if you set the bar impossibly high.
🌿You may think holding onto a grudge somehow punishes someone else. But, in reality, clinging to anger and hatred only reduces your life. Let go of grudges so you will be able to focus your energy on more worthwhile causes. Never let yourself to be abused by people, but at the same time don't allow pent-up resentment to overtake your lives.
🌿No matter how much money you make, a bigger house, a nicer car, or more expensive clothing won't give you peace of mind. Expecting material possessions to satisfy your needs will leave you sorely disappointed.
🌿Thinking you can do everything on your own is about acting tough, not being strong. There will be times when asking for help is important. Don’t be afraid to admit when you need help. Whether we rely on a higher power, ask for professional help, or lean on a friend during a time in need, we all can gain strength from others. Knowing that we don't have to have all the answers gives us a renewed sense of inner peace.

Just a quick message to you who is reading this post:
No matter how hard your life may be. No matter how stuck you feel. No matter how many days you’ve spent crying and wishing things were different. No matter how hopeless and depressed you may feel. I promise you that you won’t feel this way forever.

Anytime you doubt yourself, remember, you are a strong soul who shines after any storm. You can literally get through ANYTHING. Just keep going.

By: Tips that change your life

05/29/2026

‘Lilly of the Valley’

It is so quietly personal,
Yet so openly visible and present everywhere…
My grief bleeds
through every open wound,
seen and unseen.

It seeps through old fractures
no one remembers but my body,
through scars disguised as strength,
through smiles stitched shut
with piercing needles by trembling hands.

It bleeds through my pen, unapologetic,
slow some days,
a flood on others.
Ink and ache become indistinguishable,
knotted and tangled by pain.
Every word I write
arrives wet with mourning.

I leave traces of my love everywhere.
On doorframes.
In abandoned conversations.
Between the pages of books
I cannot bear to finish.
In the silence after someone says your name.

You left traces of you everywhere.
Luminiscent, bright and explosive at times,
Or pure and suave like a delicate Lilly of the Valley
Or a gentle whisper touching my hair.
Traces of your perfume tickling my senses…
Traces of your love that I grasp on,
Desperately asking them to show me you were not only a dream.

People think grief is absence,
but it is not.
It is evidence filling the vessel of my being to the brim!

So it spills….

Into my loneliness.
Into sleepless nights.
Into the way I still turn
to tell you things.
It shouts through every poem I write
and every sky I cannot touch!

My grief is not quiet.
It stains everything it touches.
And maybe that is how love survives,
as something that keeps bleeding
through us,
asking to be witnessed.

Credit: Lili Myers
2026

05/28/2026

The Full Cup ⛾ ✨🌺🌾

Imagine your heart is a cup.

When you wake up, it's empty, waiting. You can choose what to pour in.

Some people grab the heavy, bitter stuff. They pour in thoughts that are sharp and tight: Why is that person dressed like that? Why are they so loud? Why don't they believe what I believe? That's judgment. It fills the cup quickly, and it's a cold drink. It makes you feel separate and alone. When the cup is full of that, there's a wall between you and everyone else. Your mind gets small. You see problems everywhere, and you feel angry or afraid.

But what if you chose something else?
What if you spent your morning seeing a little light in everyone you met? You see the cashier's tired smile and think, They must be working so hard. That's a drop of love. You hear a friend's foolish mistake and think, I've made big mistakes, too. We all stumble. That's a pour of understanding. You look at a stranger and wish them a quiet, simple good day, just because they are human. That's a steady stream of kindness.

You become deeply, wonderfully busy. You are busy looking for the good. You are busy listening to the quiet story behind a person's eyes. You are busy giving a second chance, a soft word, a patient ear.

No Room Left

And here is the small, simple miracle:
When your heart-cup is overflowing with this work; the deep, soulful work of seeing and helping and accepting — there is no place left for the heavy, bitter stuff of judgment. It can't fit.
You are too full of the sunlight you've shared. You are too busy building a bridge to another person's heart to waste time building a wall.

Judgment is small. Love is huge. When you choose the huge thing, the small thing just disappears. Your heart feels wide open, and you finally see that we are all just walking each other home. That's the only job that truly matters. 🧡
Credit: Tips that change your life

05/27/2026

When planning a loved one’s funeral or memorial services, personalization is key to creating an event that is both healing and meaningful. The same is true when you’re considering what to include on a memorial marker (e.g., headstone, grave marker, etc.). But thankfully, there are a lot of ways to personalize a memorial marker, and one of them is bringing joy to people! What is it? Gravestone recipes!
What are Gravestone Recipes?
Memorial markers generally include the name, birth date, and death date of the person who has died. Often, the memorial marker also includes an inscription, like a sweet sentiment or kind phrase. However, some families have taken to personalizing the inscription in a new way – adding the recipe for that person’s most well-known dish.

Let’s look at a few examples!
Mom and adult daughter making cookies in the kitchen together, daughter learning from mother.

Naomi’s Spritz Cookies
At a cemetery in Brooklyn, NY, Naomi Miller-Dawson’s memorial marker bears the recipe for her spritz cookies. While the memorial marker includes the ingredient list and no instructions, you can use the traditional method for spritz cookies to give you a good start on how to bake the cookies.
Ingredients:
1 cup butter or margarine⁠
3/4 cup sugar⁠
1 teaspoon vanilla⁠
1 egg⁠
2 1/4 cups flour⁠
1/2 teaspoon baking powder⁠
1/8 teaspoon salt

Kay’s Fudge
Before her death, Kay Andrews of Logan, UT, requested that her memorial marker include her go-to fudge recipe. A woman of encouragement, she often took fudge to friends and family as a gift of love and support. Thankfully, Kay’s family honored her request, and now, we all get to enjoy Kay’s fudge and remember her for her kindness.
Ingredients:
2 squares chocolate
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup milk
3 cups white granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch of salt
Directions:
Melt chocolate squares with butter on low heat.
Stir in milk until incorporated and bubbling.
Sift in sugar and salt.
Add vanilla and stir.
Continue stirring overheat until the mixture reaches 273 degrees F.
Remove from heat and pour onto a marble slab.
Chill for 3 hours or overnight.
Cut and serve.
Mother and young daughter baking together, making memories

Mom’s Christmas Cookies
In Cascade, IA, a sweet remembrance marks the final resting place of Maxine Menster. When her husband and daughter wanted to add something special to Maxine’s memorial marker, they both thought of her cookies. Handed down through generations of family, Maxine made them every Christmas, leaving her home filled with the smell of freshly baked cookies and her family with precious memories.
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
½ cup oleo (margarine)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup cream
Directions:
Cream the sugar and oleo.
Add two beaten eggs and vanilla to the mixture.
Mix flour, baking powder, and salt into separate bowl.
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredient alternately with 1 cup cream.
Chill and roll out with flour.
Bake 350 degrees oven and frost.
Father and adult daughter making homemade bread together

Connie’s Date & Nut Bread
For registered nurse Constance Galberd, date & nut bread must have been an important part of saying she cared. Mother of three, Connie died in 2008 and was buried in Highland Mills, NY. While it might have seemed a small remembrance, who can really say how many people have been blessed by her date & nut bread long after her passing? It’s a personalization that keeps bringing joy even today!
Ingredients:
8 ounces dates, cut into small pieces
1 cup raisins
2 cups boiling water
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs, well beaten
4 cups flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup chopped nuts
Directions:
Pour boiling water (where 2 teaspoons of baking soda have been dissolved) over dates and raisins. Cool.
Add 1 1/2 cups sugar and mix well.
Add 2 eggs, well beaten.
Gradually mix in 4 cups of flour and 2 teaspoons of baking powder. Beat thoroughly.
Add 1/2 cup of chopped nuts. Beat thoroughly.
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to one hour.
Bake in tin cans (one batch = 13 cans)*
*During the Great Depression (1929-1939), families often baked with tin cans. You can make this recipe using a regular loaf pan.
Father and young daughter baking together, holding a heart made of dough in their hands
What a Sweet Personalization
In so many ways, food is an integral part of many of our core memories. Grandma’s special cake. Dad’s famous BBQ. The family-famous trimmings that only come out at Thanksgiving or Christmas. We all have these special foods in our lives, and a lot of times, they are associated with a special person.
If you are looking for a sweet way to personalize the memorial marker of someone who loved spending time in the kitchen, a gravestone recipe inscription might be a good fit. That way, you and so many others can celebrate and appreciate your loved one’s life for years to come.

05/26/2026

If you see Laura Smith today make sure to wish her a happy birthday! A wonderful asset to this funeral home and our community. Happy birthday Laura! 🥳

05/25/2026

Today we remember those who gave all for our freedom. We thank God for their courage and pray His comfort over every Gold Star family. “Greater love has no one than this…” John 15:13. We will not forget.🙏🇺🇸

05/24/2026