Remembrance

To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die.
-- Thomas Campbell

Thank you to those of you who shared ideas for actions I can take at the time of entering a death into my family tree. Today I'm sharing those ideas, as well as the ideas they inspired.

It's all about remembrance of the family member who has passed. Take a few minutes to think and remember. What would future generations like to know about this person? What do I feel about the loss of this person? What are the actions that are appropriate?

• Write a paragraph or a list of attributes about the person. Fully identify the person, the date of the writing and the author. Place it in my files, not online.
• If memories are painful, consider writing them and then destroying them, perhaps through fire.
• If there is a possibility to speak at the funeral or memorial service, make notes about what I want to share. I've been unprepared to share at a couple of services -- I can do better.
• Update FindAGrave and/or BillionGraves. Create the memorial page. If the page exists, leave a message or add a photo.
• Find the online obituary and capture it for my files. Leave a condolence message.
• Do I need to send a card? Craft it (or buy it) and send it.
• Create a scrapbook page to memorialize the person.
• Create a memory book or shadow box. Consider gifting it to the family.

I hope these ideas will be useful to you, as they have been to me.

In closing, here is some scrapbooking inspiration in the form of a double-page paper layout. I created this several years ago in memory of my feisty maternal grandmother who I miss every day.