Our family attended a celebration of life of a favourite relative. We came together from several parts of the province and met the relatives and family of Arlen. We, as a family, felt the pain and sorrow of a life gone in a moment. We also experienced and witnessed the grieving family doing what families do during times of grief. They bonded, hugged and felt as one with the single purpose of remembering the loved one, in a time of focused energy.
The room was filled with a collection of neighbours, relatives and friends. We all watched the difficult ritual of closing out the physical life of their loved one. The feelings were electric for all, as we were able to project or remember when this ordeal was played out for one of our own.
Funerals have an important role for the living as they give us all a opportunity to feel and express that strong emotion of love and empathy. My family has had occasions to express these feelings. I pity the person who has not had the opportunity to be present during such open expressions of grief. It cleanses the soul and makes you a better person for having given yourself totally to your deep inner feelings. The group always strengthens the grieving family and reassures them that they are not alone during these low moments.
Feel free to grieve, and to have the freedom to love openly for the loss of a loved one. Our family did.
Beautifully stated ... and I agree - what can first seem to be a painful experience - that of grieving - can also feel comforting and cleansing and can stengthen family bonds.
ReplyDelete