When someone you hold dear passes away, you find time to mourn and grieve because a part of your life is gone forever. Moving on can take time, but people must find ways to commemorate what the person meant to them through a simple ceremony, a celebration of the departed’s life.
There are several ways to commemorate the demised. The most traditional is to hold a wake so other people can visit and pay their last respects to the person. It may be most common, but there are several different ideas about how people could celebrate the departed’s memory.
If you’re thinking of doing something that isn’t traditional, you can contact one of the industry leaders like www.carrollandcarrollfunerals.co.uk so they can help you with the preparations and other necessary permits needed to hold an alternative celebration of life for your dearly departed. Their experience can efficiently help grieving families with the necessary closure.
Here are some alternative ideas to consider.
Create a garden
One of the alternative ways to celebrate life is to spur new growth. Choose a plot of land near their favourite spot and turn it into a garden. Ask people to bring seedlings to the gathering and have them say a few words about what the seedling means to their relationship with the departed. Then, you could coordinate with an experienced gardener to properly lay out the garden in their memory.
Arrange for a donation to a charity
One of the best ways to honour the memory of a dearly departed person is through a donation to one of their favourite charities. Inevitably, they supported a cause during their lifetime, so it would be best to commemorate their life with a gift in their name to the group so they could continue with their advocacy. If you could make a sizable donation, perhaps, they could name a grant in memory of the person.
Hold a paddle-out or a hike in their honour
If the dearly departed loved surfing, why not hold a paddle-out in their favourite surfing spot and share a few words of goodbye before riding the waves in their honour? If they love the great outdoors and prefer a nature hike, why not organise a group hike on the trails that they frequent? You could make this an annual event, especially if you have a manageable group.
Hold a paper lantern release
If local regulations allow it, why not hold a paper lantern release where the participants would write something on a piece of paper and attach it to the lanterns? It would be a poignant end to a service that helps celebrate their memory. It might also give a sense of finality to everyone at the celebration.
Use music as a way to achieve closure
During the gathering to celebrate the person’s life, you could arrange for their family and friends to contribute a song or two and play them as a tribute.
Endnotes
Losing someone close to your heart isn’t easy. It takes time to heal and move on, but there are several ways that you can do to honour their memory.
