“At first the coffin seemed like a plain shoebox, but then everyone started writing messages of love and pasting them on the box. Love and life overflowed. The wake became a celebration of life. Even the kids could participate… Seeing all these lovely messages was such enormous comfort.”
Coffins can seem foreboding, dark and alienating. Funerals, often somber and depressing, focus on loss, with little discussion of the wonderful life lived.
Celebrating Life
Even children, who are usually bored or frightened by wakes, find that they can participate by drawing pictures and adding decorations. This helps remove some of their fear and lets them learn to see death as a part of the cycle of life.
Expression & Healing
For all mourners, being able to write a farewell message on the coffin is very meaningful. It a chance to say thanks and good-bye. Whether or not you believe in an afterlife, the process of leaving a message gives one the feeling that there has been a real communication with the person lost. It lets you express yourself in a way that is both private and public, in a setting where speaking words may be too emotional or difficult.
“I love you. I will miss you. Thanks for everything.”