Celebration of Life around the Ashes

I recently had the honour of celebrating the life of a lovely man and a much loved man. He had always been keen on doing things differently and economically. His celebration of life met both of those criteria.

I was introduced to his wife while he was still alive but close to death. We talked about the options for a simple cremation and a celebration a few days later. I offered a cremation where only my son and myself accompany the coffin to the crematorium early in the morning. Doing a cremation this way may sound a little impersonal but in fact Mike and I feel a great sense of connection when we do these cremations and in no sense do they reflect any feeling or lack of feeling for the deceased. It is much more to do with belief about what the body is, is it a shell of the spirit that lived within it, or is it still the person who lived in it. These are questions that can only be answered as individuals. In addition the way someone dies, how long they have been ill, and who is with them when they die are important and influential factors what can affect the decision to have a simple cremation or not. Also the wishes of the one who has died may be a big factor, somehow to have permission to do things differently, or more simply than the norm, can be very reassuring.

In this instance we brought the ashes to the celebration of life which was held in a local venue overlooking a beautiful lake. The ceremony included live jazz, tributes from friends, relatives and colleagues and a lovely buffet with a champagne toast to the one who had died. It was very celebratory, it captured the essence of the man, it was a room full of love and without foreboding.

If you would like to learn more about simple cremations and how to make plans for your own or someone else’s please call Kate on 07806301328