Grief

There will be times when the loss of a loved one creates so much emotional pain that every day task seems like climbing a mountain. The love and support from friends, neighbors, and family members can really help make things better. Many thoughtful gestures can help bring comfort and lend a hand to a grieving family. Whether you are nearby or helping from a distance, there are many simple ways to ease the burden and help a family focus on what matters most, which is spending time together and honoring the life of someone special.

Offer Help That Makes Daily Life Easier

Instead of asking what you can do to assist, make daily life easier by providing practical help such as running errands, pet sitting, grocery shopping, or assisting with household duties. The act of small kindnesses creates opportunities for grieving families to be able to take time to rest, receive visitors, or have some time to themselves. Offering practical forms of support is often considered one of the most helpful forms of gift giving in this situation, as it gives families the opportunity to spend their time focused on supporting each other and less time focusing on endless responsibilities. This is not something you need to guess about, though; you can simply ask the family you’re supporting what needs to be done and take it from there. 

Make Gatherings More Comfortable

It is quite normal for families to invite friends and family over after a funeral or memorial service. Having food and refreshments available helps create a welcoming and social atmosphere where conversations happen easily, and memories can be celebrated together. Many families rely on a strong community to help do this heavy lifting, but if it feels like too much, professional catering can really be a lifesaver here. Families who want to streamline planning can look funeral catering options here: https://www.saintgermaincatering.com/catering/funeral-catering

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There’s something so painfully strange about seeing someone’s things after they’re gone.  Really, it doesn’t matter what it is, like a jacket over a chair, a mug in the cabinet, a half-used bottle of shampoo, a drawer full of receipts, chargers, pens, and random little everyday objects that now feel impossible to touch. For a lot of people, they joke about how great it would be to inherit something from someone, be it money, a house, or belongings in general. 

But then, when it happens, when you’re grieving, it’s hard to describe how hard it is to manage, because you barely can. No one can manage, but you’re supposed to. You’re supposed to just accept that the world will keep turning, people will go about their business, and you’re supposed to do that too while at the same time grieving. 

So, when you get boxes of stuff- boxes upon boxes- are you supposed to deal with this when there’s just no bandwidth there for the time being?

Don’t Force Yourself to Make Every Decision Right Away

It can feel like everything needs an answer immediately. Keep it, donate it, sell it, give it to family, throw it away, sort it properly, be practical, be sentimental, be calm, be efficient. Like, okay, that’s a lot to ask from someone who’s barely managing the day.

Some belongings can wait. Unless there’s a deadline because of a lease, a house sale, legal paperwork, or another urgent situation, there’s no need to decide the emotional value of every single item right away. And you should also just keep in mind here that grief can make a regular sweater feel like a museum piece, and it can make a box of old kitchen tools feel weirdly impossible to handle. So, just giving it time doesn’t mean avoiding it forever; it just means not forcing clarity before it exists.

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In this episode of ThriveTalk, Northeast Ohio Thrive editor Marie Elium sits down with  Michael Johns, CFO and master stone carver, and Monica Johns, president and design specialist, from The Johns-Carabelli Co. Semerano Monuments & Flowers. They talk about creating lasting memories of those who have passed on, the company's rich history and their own family's plans for a monument at Lake View Cemetery.  ...

Whether your loved one is laying on the guilt or the blame is largely self-imposed. Try to accept the situation and let it go. You can’t change their disease, condition or medical circumstance. If their situation has progressed, requiring a higher level of care, and you are unable to meet their needs safely, it is time to honor the goal of always caring for them and doing your best. This may not mean they remain at home, as you had promised. And that is OK.    ...

Grief isn’t something you wish or plan for. And the loss of a loved one can upend your life in ways you don’t know existed. Its normal, and the emotion that comes with losing someone from your life can be immense.

Planning for a funeral and what happens next, however, can be just as hard as the loss; it might even feel worse because this is when it becomes final.

One of the best things you can do as soon as you’re strong enough is to find a way to honor the person you loved. To give you a place where you can find them, feel them, and have a special connection to who they are or a memory.

What this can be looks different for everyone, but the best way to honor a loved one is to create something that reminds you of them, is representative of who they were and how they lived their life.

This post is going to look at some ways you can create a longer-lasting memory of your loved ones to bring you comfort.

Choose A Meaningful Place to Scatter Ashes

Not everyone will want their ashes scattered, but for those who would like their final resting place to be out in the world, it’s all a lovely way to honor them and what they would have wanted.

You can choose an ashes scattering service that takes you out onto the water to scatter ashes at sea, or you can scatter them in a location they loved, so they all always remain in a past that made them happy to choose somewhere you can visit again and again, knowing they are there. If you’re planning on scattering ashes in a public place, always check you can legally do so these days, and the experience isn’t marred by problems.

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It’s never easy when a loved one passes away. Grief takes time, but you can carry on with normal life while still remembering your loved one and the times you spent together. Here are special ways to remember a loved one that might help you to find comfort. ...