A family member or friend may need a letter to a family member or friend. The first step to writing this letter is to decide what exactly you would like to write. Are you looking for support or advice, a holiday or vacation and/or tips on how to handle death? Whatever the case, the words that follow will give insight into your loved one’s lives and how you best want to remember them. A funeral or memorial service often includes a reading from a poem or story, so the words chosen will be similar. The tone of the letter will reveal much about how you feel about the departed.
The first step in writing this type of letter is to make sure that all of the major decisions have been made. These include whether a memorial or funeral service will take place. If not, there may be one other option, such as a memorial in one’s home. If this is the case, then the next step is to share this information with the person to whom you will send the letter.
When selecting the words to use in the letter, it is essential to choose ones that are reflective of what happened. It may help reflect on the types of things that they liked to do or enjoy doing. Perhaps there was a specific song, movie, dance, or hobby that they enjoyed doing. Perhaps there is an event or occasion that they will cherish forever.
To begin the letter, one can describe the event in detail, starting with how and when the loss occurred. Then briefly describe how the individual died, what kind of death (natural or not), and any particular aspects unique to that person. Next, one should write how they are feeling. This could include how they feel about the loss of their loved one and their pain if they are scared at all and grief-stricken. Then, one should end the letter by discussing any plans they have made for the future or plans they would like to make in the future.
The next stage of how to write a funeral letter is to write that one is sorry. That they are sorry for the loss of their family member and are eager to have family members involved in the memorial process, one may want to include a short poem or another sort of expression of sympathy. This is an integral part of grief, as everyone understands how it can affect us.
Finally, to finish off the letter, one should thank those caring and provide a final thought. That last thought should be about how everything will be remembered and cherished for the future. Be sure to include an obituary or other notice about cremation, burial, or memorial service. If possible, write a final thank you note to anyone who may have attended or contributed to the memorial.
When writing a funeral letter, it is best, to be honest. There are times when certain words or details are omitted for whatever reason and cause the death to slip through the cracks. When in doubt, always contact those who were close to the deceased. It may also be necessary to reach those who were not so close but knew them well enough to remember various events and their impact on the dead. By recalling these stories and experiences, one can begin to put into words what the deceased was like in life. From there, one can start to understand him or her and better prepare for the next life stages and death.
The process of how to write a funeral letter does not have to be difficult, as many have found out. It can be done with a great deal of comfort and for little effort. Often, it is the lack of information that leads people into despair. By merely remembering what the deceased did, as well as what he or she did not do, one can begin to grieve in a manner that eases the heart and makes the rest of one’s day much more comfortable.
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