Creating A Positive Home Environment

Posted on: 20 June 2017

Of course, there is almost always sadness when somebody dies. The exception is probably when a very old person has lived a full life and is ready to go. When a child dies, those who loved him feel extreme remorse. The emotions when somebody takes his or her own life are extremely complex. Besides grief, there may even be anger and guilt. If you are planning the funeral for a friend who has taken his or her own life, you are probably a bit stressed over how to plan something memorable and appropriate. Here are some suggestions that might help as you plan the funeral services.

Focus On The Positive - Probably everybody who attends the funeral service for your friend already knows the circumstances of his or her death. The fact that he or she took his or her own life doesn't even have to be mentioned specifically. Instead, think of ways that you can present happy and better days of your friend's life.

• Think of others who would feel honored to speak at the funeral. It may be too difficult for family members to participate. On the other hand, they might welcome the opportunity to say kind words and to share stories about their loved one.
• If you are going to address those who have come to the service, of course you will want to get as much information about your friend as you can. Besides birth and death dates, get other facts that tell about your friend's life. For example, was he or she involved in sports? Tell about that.
• You may already know what your friend's favorite music was. If not, find out. If he or she loved hymns, consider having a soloist sing a medley of those. However, remember it doesn't have to be religious music. Show tunes like Somewhere Over The Rainbow or The Impossible Dream are examples of songs that would be uplifting and appropriate. 
• Have a visual presentation of your friend's life. One good thing to do is to gather photographs from the time of his or her birth until present time. Present them in movie form or made a large display board that features the pictures.

Have something concrete that friends and family members can take home with them. For example, a bookmark that has your friend's picture as part of the design would be a good choice. Include words such as, I'll Be In Your Heart Forever with the picture.