A birthday when the person whose day it is isn’t here anymore can be tough. It’s a day you probably want to skip over if you’re honest. And you wake up with this strange feeling of wanting to celebrate them and aching that you can’t. The first birthday I faced after losing someone close to … Read more
Heartbreak isn’t only experienced with losing a loved one or funerals. In fact it’s a type of loss that isn’t even acknowledgment much by the wider world. When an adoption falls through the person grieving has lost a child they were already loving and planning for. They had pictures of them at the dinner table … Read more
Hospice nurses do something most of us couldn’t even imagine doing. They sit with the dying and comfort them when they’re frightened. Somehow they can cope with the weight of all that and not let it overwhelm them. So when the time comes to thank one of them you can feel a bit lost. How … Read more
When the funeral is over you usually realize it’s the funeral home staff that are the people who carried you through the worst of it. At the time you feel like you’re doing it all but then when it’s through how much all the staff contributed becomes apparent. The director who answered your calls at … Read more
Missing someone who’s in heaven doesn’t ever go away. Over time it will lessen and some days you’ll find it’s not with you as much. But then a song plays or you smell their perfume on a stranger and it all comes rushing back. I’ve found that putting words to that feeling helps. Even just … Read more
When a baby dies there are no words that feel enough. It doesn’t matter what the circumstances were – an early loss in pregnancy, a stillbirth or a baby who only got to stay a little while – the grief and overwhelming sadness that comes from it is unimaginable. I’ve sat with friends in silence … Read more
Losing someone you love is hard enough without everything you have to take care of afterwards. Once the funeral is done you will probably start thinking about all the people who helped you get through it – and those who served as pallbearers deserve a special thank you. Being a pallbearer is an honor but … Read more
There is no loss quite like it. A parent is never meant to outlive their child. And when someone loses a son the grief is going to be more than most of us can ever really understand. I’ve unfortunately had to find the words more than once for a friend in this situation and felt … Read more
Being asked to say a few words at the graveside is daunting. It’s not quite the same as a eulogy. The eulogy usually comes earlier and inside the church or at the service. It’s also generally longer. The graveside speech is shorter. It’s the final words that are spoken as your loved one is laid … Read more
Picking a reading for a funeral isn’t as easy as you might first think. You want reading that fits with the person whose funeral it is and that reflects them. If needs to be work when read out lot and doesn’t fall flat to a quiet room full of people who loved them. From the … Read more