Designing Your Own Memorial Service
I was 19, maybe 20 years old sitting in my college classroom following the instructions of my professor. “Write down the names of the three people you love the most on the three slips of paper in front of you.” I write down “dad,” “sister,” and “best friend.” Then we are to pass the paper to the front of the room. The teacher proceeds to burn the papers and tell us that our most beloved have died. I couldn’t and wouldn’t let go. I was angry. I hated this exercise. I was only 19 and hadn’t yet experienced the death of my beloved grandmother, let alone two generations younger. I wasn’t prepared for this exercise. This was part of my intense class on Death and Dying. Fifty hours in the study of death, grief, and cultural services to honor those who pass. Our next exercise would be to plan our own memorial service. We were to chart it out. Where would we hold it? I decided on the Episcopal...
Read More