At a time of loss and grief, it’s often very difficult to think clearly and to bring all the care and attention you would wish to the ritual of saying farewell at a Funeral service. There are often many decisions to be made at this time and your attention can be drawn to practicalities that make it very hard to have the space and time you need in order to plan a service.

Many people say, “It all happens so quickly!”

It is here that a compassionate Funeral Celebrant can be of enormous help in focussing thoughts, in crafting a service and in gleaning the information about a loved one’s life, in order to write an honest and honouring Eulogy that can ease a time of great challenge.

A service that is congruent with the person you loved and have lost, that gives all who attend a sense of the essence of this person and of what they meant to friends, family and colleges is so important and can mean the difference between a sense of regret at all the haste and hurry and a feeling of being able to actually begin the journey of grieving and farewell that can lead to healing and reconciliation in the heart.

Wherever possible I like to meet with you, the family and/or friends of the deceased, to discuss and plan the service together. I actively employ the skills of careful listening, of providing support and ensuring that your wishes and those of your family are respected during this time.

I work with you to:

	Craft the Order of Service
	Select poetry and readings
	Select Music
	Write the Service
	Write the Eulogy
	Provide additional needs if required

Prior to delivering the service I always ensure that all my words are emailed to a family member (agreed at the time of meeting) for all content, which includes careful verification of facts, pronunciation and spelling of names.

Sometimes, when people know that their life may come to a close because, perhaps of a progressive illness, they take the very positive and healing step of working with someone like myself, to plan their own service. People have the opportunity to write their own Eulogy, to choose the music they love and that is meaningful and the poetry that speaks to those they must leave behind or that echoes their personal feelings and the love they hold for their friends and family. Such services are often among the most powerful and meaningful for all concerned.

Such work, for me, is both a privilege and an honour and I welcome the opportunity to work with anyone who would like to plan his or her own service!

Three poems that families have selected in past services.

A suggestion for a ritual that can be adapted to your own needs
that is sometimes helpful in the year following the loss
of someone you love.

Please feel free to adapt it, or to use only part of it, to suit your own truth.