At a time of loss and grieving, the last thing you should worry about is planning a perfect service. When coping with the loss of a loved one, adding the stress of event planning is an unnecessary evil. Don’t let the pressure of perfection keep you from a beautiful memorial. Here are just a few tips to plan an at-home memorial for your recently departed.
Respect Their Wishes
People often take time and effort to plan out their final wishes. Whether this comes in the form of music selection, scripture readings, or final attire, it’s key to respect those decisions. You might not always agree with their choices, but a great final gift you can give is to follow them.
If this passing was unexpected, and the plans weren’t set in place, don’t fear creativity. Gather what you know about your dearly departed: favorite movies, flowers, animals, food, or music. Hold the ceremony in their favorite room of the house and light a candle with their go-to fragrance. Have everyone in attendance wear the departed’s favorite color. The memorial doesn’t have to follow traditional guidelines so long as it sends off your loved one in a way that’s true to them.
Honor Their Beliefs
Many families are comprised of various religious backgrounds. It may cause friction from time to time, but respecting religious beliefs is key. Honor the foundation of your loved one’s life. Grant them a final send-off consistent with what they held in their heart to be sacred. If you’re unsure of the proper rituals, do your research. There are countless online resources for every spiritual background you can imagine. So long as the practices are safe and follow legal guidelines, granting final wishes in this area is a sign of respect.
Head to an online religious supplies store and purchase what you’ll need for your memorial. You can acquire alter dressings, candles, religious jewelry, prayer books, and much more. Your memorial service can be as simple as reading favorite scripture from the Bible or as complex as a full traditional mass. Including the departed’s faith in your service is a beautiful testimony to their life of divine service.
A Family Affair
There’s no shame in asking for help, especially while grieving. Include your family and friends in the planning. You may be pleasantly surprised by how many others are looking for ways to honor the dearly departed. For many, a loss is overwhelming. The urge to tangibly do something without knowledge of what to do is crippling. You can hand them an opportunity to properly say goodbye to someone they love. Gather together, whether in person or via social media, to come up with the right course of action. Ask others to share anecdotes of the life lost and say their final goodbyes.
One of the blessings of cremation is time. While there are set timelines for burial, cremation provides you with an open-ended schedule. Take the time you need to cope and find peace with the loss. Plan the memorial when you feel ready to do so and let others help you. The last thing your departed loved one would want is for you to exhaust yourself on their behalf. When the time comes to carry out your plans, you’ll be clear-headed and prepared. At the end of the day, a memorial is more for those left behind than for the one who has departed. An opportunity to say goodbye to the ones you love is just that — an opportunity. Don’t let stress or fear of imperfection stand in the way. Whatever you plan and set in motion is the perfect memorial, because it came from love.
