Few people want to plan for end of life- but there is only one guarantee in life for all of us. I have created funeral services for academy award winners, for a homemaker whose art was apple dapple cake, and for a family whose child had committed suicide. Grief and end of life is a reality for all. I help like the ancient bards to create rituals to celebrate, and as the saying goes, sing their death song.
A civil celebrant is not just an MC who says stock words downloaded from the internet. My intention is to have everything run smoother by holding hands, checking details, choosing words that express everyone’s choices,
and reassuring everyone that the arrangements will be as they wish. Although we speak of a funeral as “for the deceased,” a funeral is ultimately created “for the mourners.” I go above and beyond to bring an experience
that brings recognition and even a brief moment of positivity to those suffering from loss.
My work as a Civil Celebrant is to express the universal link that connects us all, and to do so with ease and grace so that the funeral of a loved one will be a time that contains the positive experiences of life, and not just the emptiness of loss. We cannot take away the pain of the moment, but by holding hands and getting out of the way, we can create the words that will begin to heal and restore. By creating ritual with our stories, we reconnect to the spirit of family, of community, of the cycle of life. Because we do not have to follow a liturgy, we have the flexibility to personalize and humanize the moment.
Doing this work is touching, emotional, and reminds me of the commonalities we all share as Americans as we celebrate our unique lives and strive to make the best of our time here.
A civil celebrant is not just an MC who says stock words downloaded from the internet. My intention is to have everything run smoother by holding hands, checking details, choosing words that express everyone’s choices,
and reassuring everyone that the arrangements will be as they wish. Although we speak of a funeral as “for the deceased,” a funeral is ultimately created “for the mourners.” I go above and beyond to bring an experience
that brings recognition and even a brief moment of positivity to those suffering from loss.
My work as a Civil Celebrant is to express the universal link that connects us all, and to do so with ease and grace so that the funeral of a loved one will be a time that contains the positive experiences of life, and not just the emptiness of loss. We cannot take away the pain of the moment, but by holding hands and getting out of the way, we can create the words that will begin to heal and restore. By creating ritual with our stories, we reconnect to the spirit of family, of community, of the cycle of life. Because we do not have to follow a liturgy, we have the flexibility to personalize and humanize the moment.
Doing this work is touching, emotional, and reminds me of the commonalities we all share as Americans as we celebrate our unique lives and strive to make the best of our time here.