Keepsake Funerals

A memorial/funeral service has several purposes.  Most of all it should provide a safe place for family and friends to honor the one who has died.  You should feel held up, free to  cry, laugh, celebrate and remember. 

Your grief and that of those around you should be acknowledged. Grief is just plain old tough.  You need to feel supported.

It is also a "jumping off point" for your grief...like a before and after photo.  When someone dies, we have the time in our hearts and memories of when they were with us. A memorial service helps you mark the time when you start the grief journey of a "new normal"; the time when they are not with you any more.

A service that includes spirtual elements or prayers from faith traditions, acknowledges that there is a difference between the body and the soul.  The soul is commended to God and the body to the ground, in the case of burial. Both, the body and the soul need to be given the same honor and respect through words and prayers. I feel the time at the cemetery is just as significant as the time in the memorial service. I strive to make each portion different, individualized and meaningful.