I hate funerals.
Actually, let me refine that a little.
As a funeral celebrant, I certainly love the funeral ceremonies that I write and deliver. I ensure that each is unique to the deceased, highly personal, and exactly the kind of sendoff that they and their family wanted.
But I hate the fact that we feel constrained by the long-held traditions that surround typical funerals.
Far better to consider a final farewell as a joyous and uplifting event. A real opportunity to compose a celebration of a life well lived. The chance to share the stories not yet told...and those that have been repeated ad nauseam to nearest and dearest...
Did you know that you are not limited to holding a funeral ceremony in the traditional places...a church...a graveyard...a crematorium? Of course, just as every one of us is different, so will be the choices that we make about our last celebration. Those with committed faith will, of course, wish to be commemorated in a traditional church or other religious building, following the traditions of their own religion. Burials and cremations remain essential elements of the death rituals but the services there do not need to be the only manner in which your life is celebrated...
Celebrations of life can be held anywhere! In a woodland copse...a beautifully decorated barn...your favourite restaurant...in a bar...all subject only to the necessary permissions! There can be dancing...and toasting...a personalised coffin...creative rituals...anything that will reflect and celebrate your life in a respectful, poignant and personal manner...
My current personal wishlist includes cocktails, dancing, classics from the musicals and a photowall ...although my ideas list goes ever longer...
I'm currently buzzing with creative ideas about how to turn a sad, personal loss for a grieving family into a genuine, refreshing, and ultimately comforting celebration of a special life in all its glory...
It's a Celebrant Thing...
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