When loved ones don’t want to have funerals at funeral homes in Havana, FL, their families can struggle because they want to be able to honor and remember their loved one, surrounded by friends and other families for support and encouragement.
You may be in this situation with your loved one. You are wrestling with the desire to honor your loved one’s wishes and your own desire to pay your respects to their memory and to say a final farewell.
This happens a lot. Perhaps you do not know, however, that you have some options where can honor your loved one’s wishes and you and your family can still have a commemorative event that enables you to pay your respects to them and say goodbye.
A funeral visitation is one such event. With a visitation, all friends, extended family members, neighbors, and colleagues have an opportunity to come by the funeral home to offer comfort and support to you and your family. This is no way compromises the wishes that your loved one had to not have a funeral.
To have some kind of event to mark the death of your loved one offers closure and it begins the healing process of grieving someone you have lost. An event that provides comfort and understanding helps you and your family when you are dealing with such sadness and grief about your loved one’s death.
Additionally, having a commemorative event helps you to remember that although your loved one has died, you and your family are not alone. A commemorative event can also allow others to show their care for your loved one and to talk about the ways they made a difference in their lives.
Another kind of memorial event that honors your loved one’s wishes and fulfills your need for a service is a tribute ceremony. A tribute ceremony features important aspects of your loved one’s life. It can include a focus on things they were passionate about or committed to.
For example, if your loved one was an avid supporter of a particular college or professional sport, you could set up a display that shows their team memorabilia, including jerseys, caps, and photos of them at games. If your loved one was an artist, you could set up a display that features their artwork.
Another way that you can honor the memory of your loved one is to have an informal gathering where you, your family, and others can share your memories and stories of loved ones.
You could have this gathering anywhere and include food as part of the gathering. Some people do this at home by having everyone who attends cook a favorite dish of their deceased loved one. Other people hold their gathering in their loved one’s favorite restaurant. Where you have it is not as important. What happens during this gathering is.
No matter what kind of memorial event you create to remember your loved one who specifically requested that no funeral be held for them, you and your family can have peace of mind that you did not disrespect their wishes, but that you are able to experience closure and have the comfort and care of everyone who knew your loved one.
The rituals of funerals are designed to promote the healing process, and having a memorial event can put you and your family on that road as you move forward in life without your loved one.
If you want to know more about ceremonies that are not funerals at funeral homes in Havana, FL, our compassionate and experienced staff at Lifesong Funerals & Cremations can help.