Funerals help us begin the healing process and create hope for the future. They also help us find meaning and purpose in our continued living, even in the face of loss.
When we experience the death of someone we love, a funeral or memorial service fills several important needs.
A service pays special tribute to the person’s life, helping us acknowledge the death and remember the life during this naturally difficult time.
The service helps survivors face the reality of death, a first step toward taking grief from the inside and allowing us to express it on the outside through mourning.
A funeral allows friends and family to express the love and respect they feel. Often, just seeing how much others care can help a family adjust to their loss.
Funerals are a means of expressing our beliefs, thoughts and feelings. It helps us acknowledge that someone we love has died and allows us to say goodbye.
Truly acknowledging the reality that someone in our life has died
Remembering and sharing our unique memories with others
Bringing together people in an atmosphere of love and support
Expressing our inner thoughts and feelings about life and death
Marking the significance of the life that was lived
Helping embrace the wonder of life and death
Some misconceived thoughts about funerals should be considered and addressed when planning a funeral.
When someone we love dies, we need to be sad. Funerals provide us with a safe place in which to embrace our pain.
Taking a few hours out of your week to demonstrate your love for the person who died and your support for survivors is not an inconvenience, but a privilege.
A funeral (with or without the body present) may be held prior to cremation. Embalmed bodies are often cremated.
Non-religious ceremonies are also appropriate and offer healing as you mourn together and share in the love, relationships, memories, and hope.
Maybe not … While the wishes of the person who died should be respected, funerals are primarily for the benefit of the living.
Anyone old enough to love is old enough to mourn. Children, too, should have the right and the privilege to attend funerals.
The visits, thoughts and prayers meant so much to us and helped us make such a hard and difficult time much more bearable. It will never be forgotten.
