5 Reasons to Honor a Loved One
5 Reasons to Honor a Loved One
When a loved one passes away, it’s natural to be upset and overcome with emotion and grief. For some people, the pain of losing someone special is difficult. And because it is so immense, they choose to forego having a funeral service. Instead, they want to care for the deceased’s remains and try to move on.
For other people, they feel that planning a funeral or celebration of life is a burden. When they pass away, they don’t want others to have to deal with the added stress of making their arrangements.
While it’s understandable that someone may not want a funeral or memorial service, they are failing to realize something important. The passing of a loved one affects many people. Although the deceased may not consciously be there to attend the service, they need to understand that others need such services in order to move on.
Funerals and memorial services are about more than just celebrating a life well lived, they present the opportunity for others to acknowledge a passing and begin to heal. Funerals have long been a tradition in our society. For many people, the process of attending a service, offering condolences, and mourning alongside loved ones is therapeutic. By choosing to forego a funeral or memorial service, you are essentially taking this opportunity away from your loved ones.
Here are 5 reasons to honor a loved one’s passing with a funeral service or celebration of life.
Allows Others to Pay Their Respects
One thing that many people do not realize is that a funeral service or celebration of life allows friends and loved ones to express their condolences. When you choose to forego having a service, you aren’t giving people an opportunity to pay their respects. Instead, you will likely find that over the coming months, people will express their sympathies to you and your family at seemingly random times. It’s common for funeral directors to hear from people that they wished they had held a service so everyone could offer sympathies on one dedicated day. Instead, it makes it difficult to move past their loss because people in their community are constantly approaching them when they see them out in public.
Honor Their Memory
When someone we love passes away, you want them to be cared for with dignity and respect. A funeral service or celebration of life provides us with the opportunity to pay tribute to the deceased. It is a special event or ceremony where they are honored for their achievements in life and celebrated for the wonder memories they made and shared with those in attendance.
After spending the time to plan a service, many have said they feel a sense of relief and reward afterwards. By taking the time to plan a meaningful service of remembrance, you know that you’ve have done something special to honor your loved one and give them the goodbye they deserve.
Bring Loved Ones Together
A funeral presents the opportunity to publicly express your grief among others who are hurting from the loss. Not does a public expression of grief help us reaffirm the positive impact the deceased had on the lives of many, it brings people closer together. When you attend a funeral service or celebration of life, you are coming together with loved ones to comfort and support one another. Although it is a sad occasion, a funeral can reunite people and in some cases, reignite relationships that have grown apart over time.
Find Closure and Begin the Healing Process
For some people, attending a funeral service or seeing the deceased’s casket lowered into the ground provides a sense of closure. When you finally see the deceased, you can acknowledge that the loss is real and new chapter of your life is beginning. Being able to grieve among others also helps us begin the healing process. Being in an environment that is safe and supportive allows people to open up and express how they are really feeling.
A Chance to Say Goodbye
Last but certainly not least, a funeral service presents you with the chance to say goodbye. People feel like they can tell their loved ones the things they wanted to but could not express during the deceased’s lifetime. Because it is a special occasion, you can express how great the deceased was or how much you loved them. One might argue that the biggest benefit of a funeral service or celebration of life is that it lets you say your peace and begin to move on with your life.