Losing a loved one is extraordinarily challenging. However, we must keep their memory alive. After all, there are few better ways to deal with grief than to take some time to ruminate on what a wonderful person our dearly departed was while alive. That’s why we hope you’ll look at some of our most meaningful methods for helping you honor your lost loved one.
One of the best ways to honor a loved one who has passed is by making time to experience their favorite things for yourself. Perhaps your dearly departed enjoyed cooking or painting. Maybe they were really into woodworking. If so, you could take a few painting classes, cook your loved one’s favorite meal, or create something with their old woodworking tools.
Maybe the deceased wasn’t particularly crafty but adored a specific band. In this case, you could honor them by attending this band’s show and soaking up the nostalgia their tunes bring forth. However you do it, experiencing your loved one’s favorite things can help you feel comforted and connected to them.
Many choose to honor their lost loved ones by establishing a celebration of life for them. These events allow the friends and family of the deceased to coordinate a special ceremony to commemorate a life well-lived. These services typically occur after more formal proceedings—like funerals—have already passed.
They allow those close to the deceased to gather, remember their dearly departed, and benefit from shared affection. The best part about celebrations of life is that you get to choose how you’d like to celebrate. For instance, maybe your loved one adored a particular restaurant. If so, making a reservation and planning a celebratory dinner would be an excellent choice.
Should you choose to, this would also be a great time to hand out obituary programs or memorial pamphlets to those in attendance. Doing so will ensure that everyone leaves with something to remember the deceased by. However you choose to honor your loved one is fitting and representative of the person they were in life.
Family and friends also tend to get a lot out of planning special activities to celebrate their dearly departed. If the deceased was an avid hiker, you might find solace in coordinating an annual hike up their favorite trail. If they loved to go RVing, garden, or camp on the weekends, then arrange those types of activities. You can do these things alone or with a group of those close to you.
This is also an excellent chance for those attending to share their favorite stories and anecdotes about the deceased. If you’d like, you may even choose to bring keepsakes like funeral programs along to gift everyone with. In any case, all that matters is that you take the time to enjoy the things the deceased enjoyed while they were alive. Doing this is one of the best ways to honor a loved one who has passed; enjoy the activities that made them the vibrant person they were in life.