Often when we attend a funeral we hear the clergy speak of the Funeral Celebration, or the Celebration of Life.  What does this mean, and why in our time of grief and mourning should we even think of celebrating?

Funerals, in one form or another, have been around for as long as people have been dying.  This alone lets us know that they hold some sort of importance and necessity in our life and our day to day survival.

From the moment we are born and throughout our entire lives we are building relationships with the people around us.  Some relationships like those with our close family and friends affect us each and every day.  We live our lives around our relationships, basing our biggest decisions on how our family will be affected.  “Will this new job interfere with the relationship my wife and I share?” . . .”If  I move will I be able to remain close with my parents?”

When a relationship comes to an end because of death, the situation is irreversible.  There is no going back to the way things were, no more shared moments.  Facing this can be both tragic and confusing.  “How can I possibly go on now that my husband isn’t with me?”  At this moment it is very hard to agree with anyone who tells you to celebrate.

A funeral is two things.  It is a time to spend those last few days with a loved one, to say good-bye, share the thoughts that you had not yet shared, to look at your loved one and face the reality of how your life is now going to change.  Secondly it is a time to remember the times that you had with your loved one, to remember their life, their accomplishments, their relationships, their very being.

It is this second part that is the Celebration.  In the span of a person’s life, so much occurs that needs to be celebrated, and at the end of their life it is up to those left behind to not only face their loss, but to also remember and share their memories with everyone around;  celebrate a life lived from beginning to end.