The Importance of Remembrance

Show me the manner in which a nation or community cares for its dead

and I will measure with mathematical exactness the tender sympathies of its people,

their respect for the law of the land and their loyalty to high ideals. -Gladstone

People who deal with death every day, professional caregivers such as hospice, grief counselors, clergy and medical practitioners have long understood the importance of remembrance. It is an established principle that helps heal, so we can go on living our lives in meaningful ways.

Funeral and cremation services remembrance rituals are not only ways to say goodbye to a loved one, but are also time-tested ways that can help families and friends move from grieving to remembrance. Also, permanent remembrances further provide a place and a way for families to remember and honor their loved ones forever.

There are many reasons to celebrate and mourn the life of a loved one, but for many, these six things sum up why remembrance is important:

1. To acknowledge the reality of death.
2. To acknowledge the emotions associated with the death.
3. To acknowledge that the relationship with the person who died has shifted from physical presence to memory.
4. To acknowledge changes in personal self-identity.
5. To ponder and search for new meaning in life.
6. To receive the loving support of remaining family and friends.

Sadness at the loss of a loved one may never entirely go away, but remembrance lives on.

The desire to be remembered lives within our genetic makeup. It is the age-old reason people carve their initials in trees, place their hands in cement, and chalk their names on rocks. They want to leave their mark. They want to be remembered. But for the living, the real marks they leave are the ones they've left on us. A hug. A smile. A timely word of advice. We want to remember those we've loved and lost, not only for them, but also as importantly for ourselves, to mend, to heal, to live, and never to forget.