The Three Best Ways To Personalize A Memorial Tribute For A Deceased Loved One
Planning a funeral service is simply something that most people don't have any experience with, so it's not always an easy time. One of the biggest things people look to do with a funeral service is to make the memories personal and lasting. There's no better way to honor someone's life than to incorporate that life into their memorial service. Here's a look at three great ways to help personalize your loved one's memorial tributes.
Set up a memorial stone station
While stones have long held symbolism with death and graves, making memorial stones can be a great way to customize a funeral or burial. Purchase large or medium sized craft stones, and set up a station where guests (or just family) can write on them with a permanent marker. You can have the rocks bear just the names of the signer, or have the signer briefly write their favorite memory of the deceased. Once the stones are signed, they can be placed in a vase around the house or a garden in the yard if you'd like them to be on display, or spread in a favorite location of the deceased.
Plant memorial trees
If your loved one had a particular affinity for the outdoors, planting trees in their memory can be a great way to memorialize them. Purchase tree seedling packages (many of which cost less than $5), and have family plant the trees in important locations. Of course, if you want to plant a tree anywhere outside of property you own, you will need permission, even if it is on public property or in a wooded area.
Use clothing to create keepsakes
A trend has risen in recent years to take funeral flowers and turn them into lasting memories, like beads for jewelry. But there's also a trend of taking a loved one's clothing and turning it into a keepsake. Many families choose to take shirts from the deceased and turn them into pillows, blankets, teddy bears, and more - even adding an embroidered quote from the loved one. This can be a great way to keep a personal part of a loved one close by.
A funeral is an important time to remember the life of a loved one, so it's important to take the time to plan a meaningful service. It's certainly a stressful and emotional period, but taking a little time to plan a thoughtful memorial can actually be somewhat therapeutic for the family. Of course, if you're handling your funeral arrangements through a funeral home (such as M J Murphy Funeral Home), they'll be there to assist you with much of the planning. But make sure that in the midst of planning a service, you take time to remember your loved one.
