Living Memorials
A ceremony held while someone is still here: to hear the words, the stories and the love in person.
So many tributes are spoken too late for the person they honour. A living memorial, sometimes called a living funeral, gathers the people who matter while everything can still be heard, and enjoyed.
The words, heard in person
A living memorial is written the same way as any ceremony I lead: around one person, with their stories, their music and their people. The difference is simple and rather wonderful. They are in the room.
It can be as small as two chairs by a window or as full as a room of friends. There can be readings, favourite songs, stories told out loud, thank-yous said face to face. It is shaped entirely around what the person wants, and what they feel up to.
I am Marian, an independent celebrant here in Shropshire, and a nurse before that. If you are not sure how to begin this conversation in your family, that is something I can help with too.
Who chooses one, and why
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Someone living with an illness
Who wants to gather the people they love while there is still time to enjoy them, and to hear for themselves what they mean.
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Someone well, planning ahead
Who simply wants their wishes written down and known, calmly and in their own words, long before anything is needed.
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A family with things to say
Who would rather their stories and thank-yous were said in person, not saved for a eulogy.
Your words, written down while they are yours to choose.
Make sure your wishes are known. We can write it together.
Marian
Alongside a later farewell, not instead of it
A living memorial does not replace a funeral. It sits gently alongside whatever comes later, and it often makes that day easier: the wishes are already known, the words are already written, and the person had the chance to hear them.
Some of what we write together may one day be read again. On the day itself, it is simply enjoyed, in person, over tea and biscuits if that is how you like to do things.
I am here when you are ready
This can be a tender thing to raise. If you are wondering whether a living memorial is right for you or your family, asking costs nothing and promises nothing. I am happy simply to talk it through.