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With large gatherings restricted and face masks mandated at events across the country, gathering friends and family to support each after the death of a loved one is complicated. Many grievers, understandably, want to delay or do nothing at all. Virtual funerals and celebration of life ceremonies, h...
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8 Tips to Virtually Celebrate Your Loved One’s Life Though social distancing has changed how we honor loved ones after a death, gathering family and friends is even more critical as we face restrictions to our physical contact. Virtual or hybrid (in-person and virtual) ...
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The grieving process, already difficult, has become even harder in recent months. Coronavirus has disrupted mourning rituals, many states now limit in-person gatherings, and social distancing is the new normal. Despite these challenges, there are still plenty of meaningful ways to support ...
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Gone are the days when we wore clothing or shaved our heads to honor a loved one and to tell the world that we are grieving. But expressing the loss remains a very human need. Many people get tattoos to serve as lasting reminders of a loved one that died. A permanent tattoo may not be your th...
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It can be difficult to know what to say or do to support friends after the loss of a loved one. Depending on the person, the type of loss and how much time has passed, friends will need different types of support. Grief comes in waves and is often unpredictable. Friends need different ...
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Traditionally, we relied on religion to provide a playbook for commemorating loved ones. Today, we often borrow from other cultures and religions. Some of the gatherings you may want to consider: Jewish: Shiva house (7 days of open house after a memorial) or 30-day gathering called S...
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An interview with Jeri Glatter, Vice-President of the International End of Life Doula Association With the advent of modern medicine, 80% of Americans are dying in hospitals or in nursing homes rather than in homes. It’s no wonder we don’t know how to prepare for or cope with...
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"A good funeral gets the dead where they need to go and the living where they need to be.” -Thomas Lynch Ceremonies Inspiring Celebrations of Life The 5 Guidelines of a Eulogy Create a memorial video (use code GatheringUs2019 to get 20% off) Ceremonies, verses, and eu...
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What happens when someone dies can take many different forms — religious funeral or secular? Open-casket memorial or closed? Small, family-only gathering or one open to the community? Formal obituary, or heartfelt, or funny? Traditional burial, or green burial, or cremation? However ...
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Author: Christina Andreola is the founder of New Narrative Memorials, an event planning company dedicated to planning and managing the details of End of Life events. Christina works with families to determine event details and then takes the lead in communicating with venues, caterers, flo...
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A frenzy of activity tends to follow immediately after someone dies: planning or attending a memorial, preparing an obituary or eulogy, and dealing with various logistical issues. But after the funeral, what comes next? Grief can feel overwhelming—like too much to deal with, or like you don'...
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As my husband prepared his Thanksgiving assignments last week, I looked down at our list of family members and their delicious sounding contributions. My heart was full. And yet I was also struck by a deep pang, knowing our Thanksgiving Coordinator in Chief was not listed. Ever since ...
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Death and grief are difficult concepts for everyone and we each go through a different process. Kids also have their individual responses and they can surprise you with their directness. A few tips on how to talk to kids about death: 1) Say that s/he died. Listen, answer qu...
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When planning a funeral or memorial, it helps to spend time thinking about our loved ones and things that are personally meaningful. A few ways to personalize a funeral or memorial: Photo slideshow Music playlist with their favorite or meaningful music Display their artwo...
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1: Tell a story 2: Make it meaningful 3: Not too meaningful 4: Make it personal, but not necessarily to your person 5: Be respectful— a Eulogy is not a roast So you’ve been tasked with writing a Eulogy? You have earned the challenging honor of standing up in front of a...
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Welcome to the GatheringUs blog, where we go through the nuances and details of preparing to celebrate the life of your loved one. Here, we drill down on particular topics, such as writing the obituary, personalizing the ceremony and eulogy, choosing the venue, and the challenges of family politics....
