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The Funeral Angel
Something odd happened today. I finished the memorial service for a man who had had a hard life. I walked away and less than a minute later, I came across this sight. An eagle. ( I have never seen an eagle in the wild like this before) . It was sitting, staring out to sea, on Lifeline sign. It felt like a sign.
We chose to gather by the ocean for this morning`s memorial for a man who had hit hard times. Nobody is perfect and life can be really tough, but everyone deserves a fitting farewell. There is no one size fits all/ one script fits all/ one style fits all when we say goodbye, but when we take the time to get it right, we can all walk away and say "we did something good today". We cannot hope for more than that
Hot pink shoes for Mollie today. Every service is different, because every human is different. Sometimes the most unexpected moments make the most beautiful of memories. At the end of today`s service, an elderly family member got up and started dancing and singing along with Good Golly Miss Molly . She took my arm and we sang and danced together. These are the moments we live for. @sydney_funerals_co #Notallfuneralsareblack
Butterflies for Graham. At today`s burial of ashes, every family member released a butterfly. Most of them flew straight to his grave, and enjoyed the wildflowers his family had placed there. We could not have planned it better if we tried!
Daffodils for Carolyn who loved the colour yellow and her garden. We wore bright colours and florals and celebrated her with her favourite music, her most loved flowers and her closest family. This family were offered a celebrant by their funeral home , but found me on my website instead. They saw something in me that they thought Carolyn would like. I am so glad they did. These families that search and find me , show me the greatest honour. It is always my privelege to celebrate the ones that you love.
Loss. The loss of a beloved pet is as heartbreaking as that of a family member, because to those of us who have pets, they are family members. Letting them go when their time is up is devastating. In our home, we lost our beloved Rosie, last week, after a sudden illness. She has, as they say “crossed the rainbow bridge” but her lovely soft fluffy self and her big adoring brown eyes will forever be in our hearts. Rest In Peace Rosie. You were so deeply loved.
A candle lit here and others, lit, all over the world to connect us to each other in the same moment, regardless of the time zone. When there are many people watching from afar, it can really help them feel connected by asking them to "do something" to participate. This service with @sydney_funerals_co was created to give everyone several ways to participate.
Hawaiian inspired flowers for this service with @sydney_funerals_co at The Coast Chapel.
On Sunday, we celebrated a very special man, by wearing his favourite colour- yellow, eating his favourite food- chocolate coated doughnuts and dancing to his favourite music- Mambo No.5 and the Nutbush. We even wore stickers with his face on them. A memorial service can be anything you want it to be. This one was a true celebration of life in bright, living colour.
