Meaningful Funerals

So what does it mean to have a meaningful funeral?

Put simply, the funeral has to be relevant to you. As with all milestones in life, such as weddings, birthdays, family events, etc, people choose to celebrate these in ways that have meaning and relevance to them. Funerals are no different. Funerals are a celebration of life, where we can reflect on a persons life lived.

Traditionally, funerals were centred around the church and religion, just as they were with weddings. The funerals were often very similar as dictated from the church's funeral rites.  However, today things have changed. Increasingly more families and mourner's find little relevance in the traditional funeral service. It has often been heard from some mourners they wonder if indeed they are at the right funeral service as the service bears not reflection on the life of the deceased and subsequently mourners don't connect with the service.

So how are Australian families making more meaningful funerals and what are the types of things that are being incorporated into a funeral or the events surrounding it.

Over the past decade there has been a increase in the amount off audio visual productions at funerals, wether it be photographic  montages with selected video and relevant music, to photographic or display boards of images of the deceased life. These simple touches bring relevance and meaning to mourners in attendance as the images are something they can relate to and will spur on strong memories of the person they knew and remembered.  Services can be recorded and or live streamed to the internet for people that may not be able to travel to the service.

A few years ago I interviewed and filmed a lovely lady and asked question about her life and growing up. A few years later at her funeral, her images and voice mixed with archival photos gave her the opportunity to talk about her life, in her words,  it was personal and touching.

Todays funeral tributes have gone high tech[/caption]

Families have traditionally invited people back to their homes after a funeral for refreshments. As homes have got smaller and peoples lives busier,  these functions are now often held elsewhere. Todays progressive cemeteries have high quality function rooms and beautiful catering. Many families are using there facilities or those of their sports clubs for both the funeral, the memorial service and or refreshments. These have great benefits as it places mourners at ease in their more familiar surrounds.

Indeed many families are finding more relevance and meaning at these informal refreshments functions, than they are at the funeral services and subsequently we are seeing increasingly more families choose to have a cremation without any attendance and memorial service held afterwards in their favourite location.

Its not only the funeral service itself that has seen significant change, but the way and manner in which people are choosing to deal with cremated remains. Whilst traditional memorialisation is still popular, families are choosing to say there final farewell in different ways.

Ashes to Ashes, offers a unique yet personal way to commemorate the loss of a loved one by scattering their ashes high in the sky by way of a beautiful and spectacular fireworks display. The brain child of Sydney born pyrotechnic Craig Hull,  Craig believes peoples sadness and grief are replaced by wonderment and celebration as the journey towards closure begins.

Every heard of someone as referred to as a rough diamond? Well now its possible to turn them into a beautiful one, literally. An Australian based company can now turn cremated remains into diamonds. Known as "Cremation Diamonds" the process takes anywhere from 3 -8 months.

Now whilst some of these new ways of remembrance and meaning may not be your cup of tea, the most significant change has been the acceptance of allowing those in mourning to choose to do things that have relevance and meaning to them. Funeral options.

So next time you're in a position to talk to family about what you want, tell them, they might be surprised!

As for me, I want to go sky high, with my cremated remains scattered over the start line at the yacht club, while my friends watch on and celebrate on the balcony with a cold beer and remember me with love, laughter and life.

Robert Nelson has listened and worked with clients since 1983 and created ceremonies that are designed around the needs and desires of grieving families. Robert Nelson Funerals, knowledge, experience and understanding makes him the preferred choice for Melbourne families.

For more information on any of these services, please contact Robert Nelson at robert@robertnelsonfunerals.com.au or ph (03) 9532 2111