Funerals and Ceremonies

Leaf Branch 9Funerals and other ceremonies at a time of death help us process our most profound thoughts and feelings. They make a significant difference in helping us channel our grief toward healing.

When everyday words and actions are inadequate, the ritual of ceremony provides a needed structure of what to say and do. Funerals also help us acknowledge the reality of the death, remember the life that was lived, support one another in our grief, express our grief outside of ourselves, consider the meaning of life, and begin the long, hard process of coming to transcend our grief and move toward a new wholeness.

The following topics answer many common questions about funerals and funeral planning. We hope the answers help you create transformative funerals when someone you love dies.

“People who take the time and make the effort to create meaningful funeral arrangements when someone loved dies often end up making new arrangements in their own lives. They remember and reconnect with what is most meaningful to them in life. They strengthen bonds with family members and friends. They emerge changed, more authentic and purposeful. The best funerals remind us how we should live.” — Dr. Alan Wolfelt