SECULAR
FUNERAL
Celebration of Life
A Civil Funeral ceremony is a celebration of the life of the deceased using words, music and personal recollections.
That is why those officiating at a Civil Funeral ceremony are called Celebrants.
A Civil Funeral ceremony is a wonderful way to pay tribute to a loved one, without the encumbrance of religion or other ideologies, if that is what you want.
A very fitting memorial to a committed environmentalist and a lasting tribute to her.
Her family and I also paid for a kissing gate to be built at the entrance to the wood.
The Woodland Trust will be happy to advise on the options available.
Organ donations are another way to help that process.
But, as I know from experience, the death of a loved one can make it difficult to celebrate their life.
The grief of bereavement can be extremely painful for those left behind and understandably will cloud their view of the world.
In the early stages many find it impossible to imagine life going on as normal.
But it does, as day follows night .
I have found that the words of the 17th century writer Michel de Montagne give some comfort in that respect. He wrote
“There is no road that doth not have an end and, if company is solace, doth not the whole world go the same way?”
Whilst you never fully get over the death of a loved one, with time the pain does diminish and there will come a time when you can remember with a smile, the life you had together.
I have written a short essay on Coping With Grief which can be accessed by Clicking Here
I have also found some quotes from the Worlds greatest authors on the subject of Death and Dying which can be accessed by Clicking Here.
Turning a negative event into something resembling a positive can help to start rebuilding ones life after a bereavement.
From a personal perspective,when my first wife, Amanda, died over 20 years ago I asked that trees be bought with the money people would have spent on flowers and with the money raised we were able to plant a small wood, just outside Tonbridge Wells in Kent.
500 trees that are now contributing in no small way to reducing Global Warming in that part of the world.
