alternative funerals

[Guest guest]

Vicki wrote about her grandfather wanting to be cremated in a shroud - well my

mother wanted to too and often said a cardboard box or paper bag would be fine,

but we didn't know where to find one at short notice. It was something she'd

not reasearched but had often mentioned as she thought a coffin was so wasteful

as well as expensive just to be stuck in a furnace. Interestingly, though she

was only home for Christmas Day and Boxing Day (Diagnosed with cancer a few days

before Christmas, died 8th Jan) she fished out the booklet she had sent for some

years previously which I think is called 'Funerals without God' from the British

Humanist Society and left it conveniently propped up on her desk: we found it

the day after getting the copy we requested through the post.

Her funeral was a celebration of her life. We had no music or hymns because she

didn't like incidental or background music at all, and we had no person

officiating, it was just my father and my brothers who did all the speaking.

Each of us in the family wrote and read out a small piece about her life. The

crematorium was packed, standing room only, and was followed by afternoon tea at

the Senior Common Room at the University where my father worked until his

retirement: my mother always liked their spread of generously filled rolls,

sandwiches and dainty more-ish cakes! I found the day itself a little surreal,

and can't quite explain why it poured with rain all day, until 3.25pm when the

clouds parted, the rain stopped and the sun came out 2 minutes before my mothers

coffin arrived at the crem. It was raining again by 6pm.

Miranda

[Guest guest]

This reminds me of my great uncle Henry's cremation. he had been like

a grandfather to my sister and I as my granddad had died when we were

very little. He loved gardening and had a huge greenhouse and used to

very patiently help us grow all sorts of things.

On the day of the cremation it poured with rain. Just as we came out

of the crem and were looking at the flowers, I was quite tearful. The

rain stopped, the sun shone, and my auntie said, look it's stopped for

Henry to have a stroll round the garden too. Made me smile for a

while. Then as we went back to the cars, the heaven's opened again

(perhaps that was uncle Henry watering his flowers)

Todman

Treasurer, Stansted Branch (R5)

Mum to , 3½

(wiping tears from eyes as I write )

Miranda said

I found the day itself a little surreal, and can't quite explain why

it poured with rain all day, until 3.25pm when the clouds parted, the

rain stopped and the sun came out 2 minutes before my mothers coffin

arrived at the crem. It was raining again by 6pm.

[Guest guest]

This reminds me of my great uncle Henry's cremation. he had been like

a grandfather to my sister and I as my granddad had died when we were

very little. He loved gardening and had a huge greenhouse and used to

very patiently help us grow all sorts of things.

On the day of the cremation it poured with rain. Just as we came out

of the crem and were looking at the flowers, I was quite tearful. The

rain stopped, the sun shone, and my auntie said, look it's stopped for

Henry to have a stroll round the garden too. Made me smile for a

while. Then as we went back to the cars, the heaven's opened again

(perhaps that was uncle Henry watering his flowers)

Todman

Treasurer, Stansted Branch (R5)

Mum to , 3½

(wiping tears from eyes as I write )

Miranda said

I found the day itself a little surreal, and can't quite explain why

it poured with rain all day, until 3.25pm when the clouds parted, the

rain stopped and the sun came out 2 minutes before my mothers coffin

arrived at the crem. It was raining again by 6pm.