When You Died Do See Your Loved One Again
ix Celebration of Life Ideas to Honor Your Loved One
CaringBridge Staff | 04.30.xx
A commemoration of life is an event held to honor the life of a loved one, typically focused on positive aspects of their life. This event may exist less formal and structured than a funeral or memorial service, and is often considered to be – as the name suggestions – a joyful celebration rather than a ceremony dedicated to mourning.
A commemoration of life is by and large held in a casual setting like a park or somewhere special to the deceased, rather than at a church or funeral home. Depending on the location, attire is often more relaxed, and people are encouraged to speak and share stories of their loved one. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many funeral and memorial events are being held virtually or live streamed so loved ones can participate in the service from their own homes.
There are many wonderful means to award and call up your loved 1. Some families cull to host a celebration of life instead of a funeral. Others accept a funeral, then hold a celebration of life weeks, months or years afterward to proceed honoring their loved one, or to include others who weren't able to nourish a previous anniversary.
If you cull to host a celebration of life, you may exist wondering the best style to honor them. To spark some inspiration, we offering nine ideas you can employ to celebrate the life of a loved i:
1. Choose a Meaningful Location
If yous're unsure where to hold the outcome, consider hosting the celebration in or nearby a place that was especially meaningful or symbolic to your loved one. This can add together an extra layer of connection to the issue, and make it even more than special.
2. Invite People to Share Stories
Sharing stories is an amazing fashion to keep the memory of your loved one alive. Whether it'southward a story that makes people laugh or makes people cry, these memories take the power to assistance heal broken hearts and bring everyone together.
To prepare people, enquire in the result invitation that people reflect on some of their favorite memories, and if they feel comfortable, share them during the commemoration.
3. Collect Photos
Photos tin can be a slap-up thought to share at this upshot, and to have as a emblem afterwards. You lot tin source more photos from friends and family by creating an online grouping photo album, in which you invite multiple people to add photos to a folder.
You can and then utilize these photos to share a slideshow at the event, or create a concrete photo album for your loved i's closest friends and family.
Here are instructions for creating and sharing a collaborative album in Google Photos. Bonus: it's free.
"I have been a part of an event that I and many others couldn't attend, so the families requested photos and cards and put together a Shutterfly book which they shared online (and fabricated bachelor for purchase)."
Kristie T.
4. Play Their Favorite Music
Music can be a powerful tool of healing, and tin bring you dorsum to some special memories. Create a playlist of their favorite songs to play at the celebration and share with others afterwards. Similar to the suggestion above, you lot can create a shared playlist where friends and family can add songs they know their loved 1 enjoyed.
v. Ask for Letters
Having written memories to await back on can be very healing. Ask those invited to the anniversary to write a letter nearly their loved one. These can be given to those closest to said person: their spouse, children, siblings, best friends.
"Capture in writing what they meant to you. I received several letters from relatives, and friends when each of my parents passed. I even received a alphabetic character from a cousin who told me my parents financially supported him during his college years and what it meant to him to take them by his side. I had no thought. My parents kept it to themselves to respect his privacy. The letters are in a shoebox and once a year or so I pull them out and read them. Their legacies live on through these special letters."
Susan K.
6. Get-go a Group Prayer or Poem
Consider sharing a special poem or prayer dedicated to your loved one. For example, you could kickoff a group verse form that gets everyone involved:
- Prior to the event, ask those invited to write a short 5-10 word retention or response to a simple writing prompt (e.g. "You made me express joy when…", "What I learned from you…").
- The collective responses are put together to make a lovely poem. The 24-hour interval of the celebration, the verse form can be read every bit part of the ceremony, providing everyone with a chance to contribute.
You can also dedicate a prayer in your loved one's name, as Pat shares below:
"My 96-twelvemonth-one-time neighbor died this past Dec and her funeral was postponed once due to a snowstorm, and once again for coronavirus. To honor her memory and her stiff Cosmic faith, many of united states of america have committed to say a rosary in her name every Friday until her Mass of Christian Burying can be rescheduled."
Pat M.
vii. Constitute Your Loved 1's Memorial
You can use this commemoration to reveal or create a memorial for your loved one. For example, you could donate a tree in their name and constitute information technology at their place of worship, at the park (with city blessing) or a loved one'south backyard. Through nature, their retention will alive on and remain something tangible you tin see for years to come up.
"The Vern Tree: When Vern, a good friend of mine, passed away later on a long battle with lung affliction, his wife got permission from St. Paul City Parks to decorate a large pine tree in Como Park. We chosen it the Vern Tree. His married woman asked all his friends to make ornaments that reminded them of Vern. And so nosotros all met in the park on a common cold morning and decorated the Vern tree. The ornaments ranged from objects, similar a chunk of Alaskan cotton (he was from Alaska), pictures, to printed short memories. We had hot chocolate and music and people shared stories. it was a fun outdoor celebration and we felt similar Vern was with united states of america the whole fourth dimension."
Mike B.
"Plant a memory garden – after 20 years my dad's garden is nonetheless going strong at church. Create a retentivity demote. Brand memorial candles. Build a small-scale memorial crafted from rocks. You can add it to your garden or at the corner of your lot. Frame something written past the loved i who passed. Create a quilt or coating from their habiliment – I have a small quilt my mom created from some of my grandmother's dresses. I framed it many years agone and it hangs in my sleeping accommodation. Attend to their grave site. Bring flowers, bring a plant, offer to help the family unit proceed upward the grave site by pulling weeds, or watering the plants and keeping things tidy. Write a prayer and create memorial cards with information technology and share it with their family unit and loved ones. Something specially squeamish to practise on an anniversary (their passing, birthday, nuptials)."
Susan K.
8. Starting time a Memorial Fundraiser
Memorials and services to remember your loved one can be quite expensive. Non everyone may be able to afford the ideas they had in mind. To help with the costs, you tin starting time a fundraiser using a free platform like GoFundMe to raise funds for the memorial or event.
If this sounds intimidating, don't worry. These donation request templates will help you get started.
ix. Tape the Celebration
Some people may be unable to attend the result, or perhaps find it besides emotional or challenging to fully enjoy. Whatever the reason, having the celebration live streamed and recorded allows family unit and friends to participate in the special day in the comfort and privacy of their own homes.
A recording is something you tin can rewatch or replay, and may provide a sense of comfort in hard or lone times. As Dennis shares below, sometimes the feeling of being together is simply equally helpful as actually being together.
"I grew up without my mom. My best friend'south mom Jane, growing up, really took me under her wing and was my "mom" until the day she died in late July 2015. She spent almost her entire professional person life working as an fine art therapist, mostly kids who had trauma in their lives, and was passionate almost helping others. At that place was no funeral, simply a public gathering at the local art museum in Billings, MT. I helped my all-time friend and his married woman pack upwards her office, her home, and her life. At the ceremony, lots of folks talked…but not everyone could come to this specific place at the time, then I recorded the sound of the effect and made it available to others to download. In the terminate, I think sometimes it is nearly the feeling of being together…than really existence physically together."
Dennis S.
If you are hosting the entire event well-nigh, ane idea is to enable coming together breakout rooms subsequently the service for family and friends to talk and connect.
What Are Your Celebration of Life Ideas?
We promise these ideas will assistance you honor your loved one's memory and celebrate their life with their closest friends and family.
Nosotros'd like to know your thoughts as well. What's been helpful for you when celebrating the life of a loved one? Please comment your thoughts and ideas beneath:
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Source: https://www.caringbridge.org/resources/celebration-of-life-ideas/
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