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Finding the right celebration of life ideas for mom can help those dealing with one of the hardest losses any of us will ever face. While traditional funeral services may tick all the normal boxes, lots of people feel that they don’t really do justice to the person they’ve lost. Finding a way to not only mourn but to celebrate the person allows us to start the healing process and pay honor to them and their unique impact on us.
The loss of a loved one is never easy, but the loss of a mother is among the most heartbreaking things one can face.. It’s normal to feel lost, scared, and utterly devastated as you slowly start to come to terms with life without your first and greatest supporter. Realizing that one of the most important people in your life won’t be there for major events, or even just to pick up the phone and talk to, is a difficult change to come to terms with.
You want to find a way to pay your respects that reflects her as a person. When it comes to the public marking of her passing, traditional memorial services and funerals might not feel like they quite cut it. There are personal touches that you can bring into these events, such as adding your mother to family photos which can offer both comfort and a sense of connection.
There are a few common alternatives to the traditional service that you could consider when looking for funeral ideas for a mother that are gaining popularity, but you shouldn’t feel bound to fit these molds either.
Funerals serve multiple purposes. For some, they’re a religious ceremony that unites the deceased with their god. For others, they’re a show of support for those left behind. Many people find the ‘busyness’ of planning the logistics to be helpful in the earliest days after a death.
Even if you’re planning a very traditional funeral service, you have choices to make that might help you feel that you are honoring her properly. The first of these choices is between burial and cremation, or a modern alternative like having their ashes turned into a diamond or something even more exotic.
Some people choose to have portraits for funeral ceremonies to help focus mourners on the departed, while others opt for elaborate floral tributes. The important thing is that you feel that you’re expressing your love properly. If none of that feels right, that’s fine too; you shouldn’t feel constrained.
It’s important to remember that you’re not alone in these stages. Organizing a funeral often brings family and friends together, giving them something to focus on as the mourning process starts.
Memorial services take many forms, but it’s generally the term used for an event marking the passing of someone after their burial or cremation. Finding the right memorial service ideas for mom might feel less tradition-bound than the funeral, letting you express your love in a more personalized way.
A memorial service could be almost anything done in her memory. Getting family members and friends of the departed together to eat a favourite meal and share special memories or something less public like releasing lanterns into the night sky are equally valid.
You could include a formal memorial table at the event, decorated with her favorite flowers and a memorial canvas, showing her however you feel fit, or you could keep things informal. The choice is yours.
While traditional funeral services and memorials are most often thought of as sombre events, they don’t have to be. They can be filled with warm memories and even laughter as people gather to celebrate a life well-lived.
Finding the right celebration of life ideas for mom is a great way to reflect on your relationship with her and really think about her as a person. Take inspiration from her hobbies, passions or career and build around those as your theme.
For some moms, this might mean organizing a screening of a favorite movie for her nearest and dearest. Others might want to get together and play a favorite game while sharing memories. All that really matters is that you feel that it’s a fitting tribute.
Taking some time to work out the theme and location for your celebration of life can help make it a memorable memorial event. Sharing a meal and memories with family and friends in a favorite restaurant or visiting a meaningful place like a local park to release lanterns might fit best, but you shouldn’t feel limited.
As for the theme, your options are wide open. Pick a few things your mother loved most and use them as inspiration for what you create. Remember, this is a celebration, so finding activities that bring together all the important people in her memory is what truly matters.
For some celebrations of life, people might want to decorate the venue in memory of their departed mother. This is a great opportunity to display things like favorite photos or other memorial artworks. You could deck the place out in her favorite colors or have bouquets of her most-loved flowers.
Many people closely associate their mother with food and missing her cooking is an all too common part of the mourning process. If you’re lucky enough to have had a mother who wrote down her recipes, why not try cooking them for your celebration?
If food isn’t the direction you want to go in, there are any number of other activities you could get together and do in her honor. If she was a keen outdoorswoman, organize a hike and spread some of her ashes. If she loved taking the grandkids bowling, do that. All that matters is that you’re together and doing something in her memory.
A memorial table could be as simple or complex as you like. Common components include photos or canvas portraits of the departed, bunches of flowers, and a condolences book where guests can write messages to those left behind. Other ideas could involve things like a favorite quote of your mother’s in elegant calligraphy or a couple of particularly distinctive personal items.
Memorial gardens or trees give us a place to go, dedicated to the memory of the departed. Getting together to plant something that will stand as a permanent living memorial or visiting it as a group in the years that follow a loss can bring great comfort to those left behind. These could be planted in your personal garden or as part of a memorial forest.
Finding the right celebration of life ideas for mom’s funeral or another memorial event might seem daunting, but the planning itself can be a chance to reminisce and remember, starting the healing process. Focus on the good things and you can turn a sombre event into one filled with warmth.
