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Many families today want a service which celebrates the life of their loved one. We at Rairigh-Bence Funeral Home introduce them to the concept of a celebration of life, and provide support in designing a celebration of life that is as unique as the life of their loved one if you live in Indiana, Clymer, Hillsdale & area.
We always enjoy working together with families in
planning a celebration of life for their loved one. While it can be a challenge to put together an event that both pays tribute to and celebrates the life and spirit of a complex individual, it's also one of the most rewarding things any one of us can do for someone we've loved and lost.
Sarah York opens her beautifully-crafted book,
Remembering Well , with the very personal story about how her family chose to pay tribute to her mother. "My mother died in April 1983... She didn't want a funeral. 'Get together and have a party,' she had said when the topic was allowed to come up." However, she was quick to tell readers that the survivors did not honor the request. "We needed the ritual. We needed to say good-bye, but we also needed a ritual that would honor her spirit and would be faithful to her values and beliefs."
When Ms. York acknowledges the position of her family—that they needed not a party but a ritual—she teaches us all something important: the celebration of life events we plan with families should be shaped as much by their own emotional and spiritual needs as their desire to celebrate the life lived.
It's interesting; funerals and celebrations of life have much in common, yet they often appear very different. Each is a ceremony; a gathering of people who share a common loss. It's just that one is more rooted in tradition, while the other is the result of recent changes in social values. But both serve to do three things:
Yet they achieve those things in very different ways. First, let's take a closer look at what most of us commonly see as very traditional funerals .
Author Barbara Kingsolver, in her book
The Poisonwood Bible , wrote “To live is to be marked. To live is to change, to acquire the words of a story, and that is the only celebration we mortals really know.” We think this reflection is at the heart of a celebration of life . While a funeral, as we've described it above, has more to do with the orderly and often spiritually-defined, a celebration-of-life is more concerned with telling the story of the deceased. Celebrations of life are just that: a time people come together more to celebrate the unique personality and achievements of the deceased than to merely witness or mark the change in their social status.
Celebrations of life are similar to
memorial services , which can be described as a hybrid event: combining the flexibility of a celebration of life with many of the activities of a traditional funeral
order-of-service .
There's more room for creativity in a celebration of life than a funeral. Since celebrations of life are commonly held after the individual's physical remains have been cared for through burial or cremation, there is much more time available to plan the event. And without doubt, this allows you to make better decisions about how you'd like to celebrate the life of someone you dearly loved.
We've got years of experience listening, brainstorming, and advising families how they can best pay tribute to a beloved family member. That means we're the perfect people to help you decide between a funeral and a celebration of life . We'll explore your funeral service options with you in detail, taking all the time you need.
In the book Chocolat , by Joanne Harris, you'll find this fundamental truth: “Life is what you celebrate. All of it. Even its end.” As funeral professionals we help families express reverence for life. Let us do that for your family. Call our funeral home to speak with a member of our staff.
Rairigh - Bence Funeral Home & Crematory
of Indiana
965 Philadelphia Street
Indiana, PA 15701
Email: rairighfd@gmail.com
David A. Rairigh, Owner/Supervisor
Rairigh - Bence Funeral Home & Crematory
of Clymer
655 Franklin Street
Clymer, PA 15728
Email: rairighfd@gmail.com
David A. Rairigh, Owner
Taylor S. Allison, Supervisor
Proudly Serving the Communities of Indiana County and surrounding areas: Indiana, Clymer, Homer City, Marion Center, Penn Run, Dixonville, Ernest, Heilwood, Brush Valley, Kent, Lucernemines, Creekside, Commodore, Home, Starford, Shelocta, Cookport, McIntyre, Alverda, Aultman, Kenwood, Clarksburg, Diamondville, Iselin, Prosperity Hill, Clune, Graceton, Barr Slope, Coal Run, Pine Flats, Jacksonville, Purchase Line, Chevy Chase, Glen Campbell, Red Barn, Chambersville, Hillsdale, Waterman, Buck Run, Blacklick, Marchand, Nicktown, Parkwood, Strongstown, and Mentcle