The loss of a loved one can be a difficult and painful experience. And choosing the best way to honor someone who has played such an important role in our life can seem like a difficult endeavor to undertake.
The celebration of a person’s life can take place in a variety of stunning and unique ways, regardless of whether the individual is cremated or interred.
Plant a tree or a flower in their name
For those of you who have a garden, you might dedicate it to your loved one by planting their favorite tree or permanent flower in your or a friend’s or family member’s honor. It may be a very life-affirming experience to see it bloom and flourish year after year as a means of remembering how much they meant to you – especially if they loved gardening themselves. Many people prefer rose bushes as memorial flowers because of their lovely blossoms and smell, which creates an ideal environment for sitting and remembering the person who has died.
Have a place to be able to sit and remember them
Making a plaque to be placed on a bench at a favorite viewpoint or beauty spot or even a stone to be placed outside their favorite sports stadium can be a beautiful way to memorialize your loved one in public. It also provides a place for you and other people who are missing them to come and visit and recollect. Many local attractions and beauty sites provide opportunities for you to commemorate a loved one, or you can inquire with local authorities about the possibility of cemetery benches.
Make a charity donation in their memory
Making a donation to charity in remembrance of a loved one is a beautiful way to ensure that their goodness lives on in perpetuity. Decide on a cause that they were passionate about, or possibly one that benefitted them during their life, to make it even more meaningful to them.
Celebrate their birthday
Every year, do something that makes you feel connected to them and repeat the process. You could, for example, do the following:
- Make a memory of your loved one by doing something they enjoyed.
- Take a journey to an area that has special significance to you both.
- Host a large family meal and commemorate the occasion — and invite their closest friends to attend.
- In the evening, light a candle in honor of them.
- Make use of the information you already have about them. Take a class in something they were already familiar with. Take them for a walk in their favorite park. Give yourself a day off and prepare all of their favorite foods.
Write to them
Whenever you are having trouble with something – or anything – writing can be really beneficial. Consequently, writing a letter to a loved one who has passed away can be a great method of feeling connected to them while also working through your grief and mourning process. Letters can be preserved or ‘posted’ by burying them at the gravesite or scattering location, or by placing them in a special container. Other options include putting them in a fire or even floating them down a river in a boat to burn them.
