Challenges can be opportunities

As Funeral Celebrants we are constantly faced with challenges.  They may be minor; they may be major; how we, as professional celebrants, approach and react to these challenges (or should I say opportunities) will impact on the Funeral Service.

Recently I was asked to conduct a Cremation Service for an elderly gentleman, whose wife is in a Nursing Home suffering from dementia.  They have no known family – they were a very private couple who married in their late 50’s.  What do you say?  How do you approach the ceremony?  What theme would I underpin the ceremony with?

The organiser of the service was the neighbour and she could only give me basic information as she had only known the couple for a relatively short time – but what I did gleam from our conversations was he had 3 old friends who would be travelling from NSW and rural Victoria for the Service. 

So ….considering that friendship was the reason that the neighbour assisted the deceased, friendship was the reason that three old friends were travelling interstate, I thought ‘Friendship’ the appropriate theme for the service and it was.

Friendship turned a challenge to an opportunity to say thanks for being my friend and sorrow into smiles as they remembered.