It can take people a lot of courage to visit someone in hospice. Not because I they don’t love that person but because they struggle to know what to do and what to bring. The etiquette around visiting in a hospice can feel awkward. Do you turn up empty handed? Do you bring flowers? Do … Read more
It can feel strange writing about a death on LinkedIn. It’s the place where most post post about promotions or look for job opportunities. When you have to try and tell a professional network that someone they all knew had died it’s odd. So if you’re here trying to figure out how to announce a … Read more
A while back a neighbor of mine passed away. I didn’t know her that well. More just the sort of neighbor you’d chat to casually when you ran into one another. I wouldn’t have called us close friends. When the funeral came around I was made aware of the details by a friend but didn’t … Read more
When it comes to a death and loss Instagram can be odd. Instagram is known for being the place where we put our best days, vacations, our coffees and sunsets. It’s not really the place for grief. So when you have to announce a death there it can feel wrong. But more and more of … Read more
After losing someone there’s a good chance they’ll have lots of old photos. You might recognize or half recognize people in them but a lot will also mean very little to you. I remember sitting on my kitchen floor with the photos of my mom spread around me feeling completely stuck. I didn’t want to … Read more
When a friend passed away a few years ago I sent the family a peace lily. I didn’t think too hard about it at the time. It was something I could easily grab from the florist and it looked nice enough. I couldn’t face choosing another bunch of cut flowers at the time. What I … Read more
When your dad has passed away and the funeral is over it can be hard to find peace. After my dads funeral I went looking for poems. Most of what I found was written to be read at a service, which is lovely, but it wasn’t what I needed. I wanted words for afterwards when … Read more
Losing someone to suicide is different than other types of loss. And because of that the words we use around it should be considered and thought about more. Families often feel guilt, shock, anger and lots of questions asking why that never fully get answered. On top of that there’s still a stigma that can … Read more
This is a simple list of Christian hymns, gospel songs and contemporary worship songs that families use consistently for funerals. For each one you’ll find a little background, the mood it sets and where it tends to work best in a service. I’ve also added some notes on how many songs you generally need, who … Read more
Like many people I’m not good at public speaking. In fact it terrifies me. I’ve pushed through on the odd occasion but generally I will do everything I can to avoid making any sort of speech or presentation. So when I’ve been asked to speak at a memorial or funeral I’ve instinctively wanted to say … Read more