Mother Nature has what we need

Erin Brodbeck, LCSW, CT,
Director of Grief Services,
Sunset Funeral Home

With the recent February weather being in the 70s here in our part of Illinois, I am beginning to get a touch of spring fever. The warm weather has got me thinking about spending time outside and its ability to aid in the grief process. I recently read a few articles that discussed the therapeutic abilities of nature and its tendencies to reduce stress.

When a family is grieving after the loss of a loved one, their stress levels are more than likely skyrocketing. By utilizing the healing powers of Mother Nature and her many different resources as ways of memorialization, we can help the families we serve to reduce their stress levels.

• Plant a tree in honor of a loved one.
• Dedicate a favorite hiking spot by placing a plaque or memorial in their honor.
• Design a memorial by incorporating images of nature’s beauty or decorate a grave with some beautiful flowers.
• Host a nature walk or presentation in your cemetery to educate the community about our natural resources. At Sunset Memorial Park, we host an Arbor Day celebration at the end of April for area schools to learn about its history and plant a tree.

The combination of memorialization and nature can be a great way to help the families we serve in their journey to healthy healing.

This article originally appeared in Modern Memorialization, Trigard Memorials' weekly electronic newsletter featuring information for the funeral industry. Sign up for your free subscription at http://www.trigard.com/thursdays.

Grieving is a social process

Karen Darby-Ritz,
Advance Planning Manager,
Camino del Sol Funeral Chapel
and Cremation Center

As an industry, it’s important that we understand loss and grief to the best of our ability, because it’s only then that we can best assist the families we serve. As we know, grief comes from a loss and there is a journey that we go on in dealing with this loss, including:

1. Acceptance
2. Experiencing the pain
3. Experiencing life without our loved one
4. Memorializing our loved one

We tend to think of grief as a solo effort, but what many of us don’t realize is that grief is a social process and many deal with it best in a social setting. Being surrounded by those that we love and that love us is more comforting than battling the grieving journey on our own.

As individuals who often see grief, we can help families through the process as well. Armed with knowledge gained by our years of experience and continued research on healthy healing, we can help them understand the importance of creating a permanent place of memorialization for a loved one. I encourage you to continue educating families on the value of memorialization and helping them on the path of healthy healing. Once families have a clear understanding that having a place for family and friends to gather to honor and celebrate the life of their loved one can they truly be able to heal.

This article originally appeared in Modern Memorialization, Trigard Memorials' weekly electronic newsletter featuring information for the funeral industry. Sign up for your free subscription at http://www.trigard.com/thursdays.