10 Ways to Remember Your Loved One

One way to provide comfort for those missing a loved one is to memorialise the deceased. This can be done in private or public as part of a ceremony. Here are some ideas to commemorate the life of your loved one and to bring comfort during the grieving process and beyond. Showcase a Loved One’s Look in a Frame Is there piece of clothing or accessory that signifies your loved one’s look? Your aunt’s scarf, your brother’s favourite shirt, your uncle’s gloves? Seeing a photograph of them wearing it can bring you fond memories. How about having that piece of clothing showcased somewhere in your home in a frame or shadowbox? It’s like have a piece of them even closer to you and always around. Use Clothing to Create a Memory Quilt A concept that is becoming popular are memory quilts. These are quilts that are made from your loved one’s clothing. If sewing is not your cup of tea, there are companies who can do this for you. Gather some of your favourite pieces of clothing that bring you fond memories of your loved one. A friend of mine who passed away had an huge wardrobe of jeans, from acid wash to dark denim. A family member cut many squares of all the different jeans and created the most beautiful quilt for me. It was one of the most touching gifts and carries of lots of memories for me. The Comfort of Your Loved One as a Teddy Bear Teddy Bears are a sign of comfort. Memory Bears are a way to keep the memory and comfort of your loved one with you in the form of a teddy bear. You can design your memory bear with colours and style that remind you of your loved one. You can even use some of your loved one’s clothing or jewellry to adorn the memory bear and bring about comforting feelings and memories when you see or hold the bear. Honour Their Memory with a Memorial Bench Something we all miss is sitting with a loved one after they have passed. A way to honour them and provide a space to spend time thinking about them is with a memorial bench. This bench can have a special plaque with your loved one’s name and other words that are comforting to read such as their words of advice or something they always said. The bench can be placed where your loved one like to spend time or where you live so you can sit and feel like you are spending time with them. Some county councils allow memorial benches for loved ones to be placed in local parks or gardens. Designate an Annual Day of Celebration For a more lively memorial, designate a day each year to celebrate the life of your loved one. Family and friends can gather at a special place or partake in an event or activity of their loved one. Doing something that you loved to do with your loved one with others that loved them can bring comfort to all involved. Plant a Tree in Your Loved One’s Name A tree is a symbol of life. What better way to have the memories of your loved one live on than with a live tree? Friends and family can visit the tree or bring some leaves or a branch home with them each year when it blooms. If your loved one was cremated, you may find comfort in doing something with their ashes instead of keeping them in the traditional urn.  Keep Them Close in a Piece of Jewellery One way to keep your loved one close is to put some of their ashes in a locket on a necklace. This can be especially comforting during the grieving process. A Beautiful Sculpture of Glass This is a nontraditional idea, but could be a lovely way to honour someone. There are glass companies and artisans who will incorporate your loved one’s ashes into a glass sculpture or other item such as a paperweight or vase. Writing is the Painting of the Voice Another nontraditional idea is use your loved one’s ashes to make pencils. There are companies who turns the carbon from a human’s ashes into pencils. It is reported that a human body’s carbon content is able to make approximately 200 pencils. Sending Them Off with a Bang One of the biggest ways to celebrate your loved one is use their ashes as part of a firework. Firework companies are able to package fireworks with human ashes and include their name along with a prayer for a more personalised tribute. Honouring your loved one is part of the grieving process and can bring comfort. Let your memorial to them be as personal as you’d like and express the love that you have for them.