No matter who you are or where you are in life, chances are you possess at least a few defining characteristics – and they likely have little or nothing to do with your profession or daily obligations.

Perhaps you are a prolific – albeit frenzied - artist with a notoriously messy studio, or an introspective sort who just happens to also be a talented singer. Maybe you have found a late-in-life passion for interior design or pride yourself on being the penultimate, uber-organized “Super Mom.”

No matter what your secret skill or standout qualities, you are uniquely you - a true individual.

So, why should you be remembered any other way?

With Dignity Memorial’s guidance and assistance, you can shape the story of your life – your way.

Dignity’s caring and knowledgeable local providers understand that memories matter. They are at once the key to the past and a legacy for future generations.

That’s why Dignity offers the Everlasting Memorial, an online collection of writings and images that are gathered and permanently stored for those who knew you best – and those you never got to meet. It is a window into a life that can be shared across the oceans and beyond the boundaries of lifetimes, preserved and maintained in a lasting memorial.

An Everlasting Memorial provides a platform for sharing photos, poems, stories, memories and personal tributes from friends and family members. Not only does it create a shared space for those who are grieving – and celebrating a life well-lived – it also serves as an archive and a secure foundation for an enhanced genealogical record, since it can always be added to and expanded upon. Dignity offers a Care and Maintenance Trust Fund to protect your Everlasting Memorial for years to come.

And you can share your life through a video or slideshow that guests can view online or during your uniquely-you service. A hardcover keepsake book of photographs is also available.

Making the Everlasting Memorial part of your pre-planning discussion with a Dignity counselor ensures those who matter most to you in life get to share what they loved most about you – whether it be an amusing tale of adventure from childhood, a gift for the arts you instilled in others, a humanitarian spirit that inspired your community or a touching story of family bonds.

And the Everlasting Memorial is just another way Dignity Memorial providers offer a higher level of funeral care – before, during and after the funeral. For more information, or to view a panorama of lives honored in an Everlasting Memorial, visit dignitymemorial.com.

Patrick Kelly is Family Service Manager for Dignity Memorial®, which cares for more than 300,000 families each year through its network of more than 2,000 providers throughout North America. Learn more at www.dignitymemorial.com or call Greenlawn Memorial Park, Oleander Memorial Gardens and Coble-Ward Smith Funeral & Cremation Service, (910) 799-1686.