The unfortunate events of the COVID-19 pandemic taught us many hard learned lessons. One of those was how to memorialize loved ones when it isn’t possible to have a funeral or memorial immediately after the death of a loved one.
Create an Online Memorial
An online memorial is a way to bring people who knew your loved one together from all over the world. And unlike a funeral that is over in a matter of hours, the online memorial can remain on the Internet indefinitely.
There are service providers like Keeper and Ever Loved that give you the ability to create online memorials for free. If your loved one had social media accounts you may be able to create a memorial page through those platforms. Facebook has this option.
Give to a Charity in Their Name
Giving back is a great way to feel uplifted and put a positive spin on the situation. Research has shown that giving to others has a number of health benefits, such as decreasing depression and increased happiness. Choose a charity that you think your loved one would have helped and make a donation or volunteer for a day in their name.
Create a Photo Album or Scrapbook
A photo album or scrapbook is a highly personal, creative project that can serve as a physical remembrance of a loved one. The photo album or scrapbook can even be online. Canva is a popular online scrapbook maker with templates and custom designs that make getting started easy.
Run/Walk a 5K
If your loved one liked to be physically active, a great way to honor them is by running or walking a 5K. You can actually combine it with the giving back idea above by doing a 5K that raises money for a non-profit or charity.
Cook Their Favorite Dish or Dessert
Food is an important part of our cultures and for individual families. It also has a strong connection to memories since it blends the senses of sight, smell, touch and taste. Cooking one of your loved one’s favorite dishes or desserts can bring back great memories of dinners you shared. You can also invite a few friends and family members over to make it a low-key memorial for your loved one.
Make a Keepsake
One scroll through Etsy proves there are endless keepsakes that honor someone’s memory. You can even come up with your own personal idea using an item your loved one owned or something that’s a special reminder. If you want to share them with others, consider keepsakes that are easy to replicate or that go together. For instance, you can create matching pendants using the cremains.
Write a Eulogy
Even if no one else will hear it, writing a eulogy for a loved one can be cathartic. It gives you a way to express your feelings and your love for the person you lost. Putting things down on paper also has a way of allowing us to physically release and process emotions. So go ahead and make a eulogy that you can keep for yourself or add to an online memorial.
Direct Cremation is a trusted resource for families that are considering options outside of a traditional funeral. Give us a call or text to learn more about how direct cremation works.
