A beautiful way to carry the memory of your loved one is with a piece of jewelry. It’s something that can be worn at all times to serve as a gentle reminder of the one they still hold dear to their heart.

Consider wearing a piece of your loved one’s jewelry such as a ring, necklace or cuff links. If you aren’t sure about what to do with a wedding ring of the deceased, consider wearing it on a chain or passing it on to a child. When I graduated college, my mom gave me a modern ring that contained the diamond from her wedding ring.

Consider having your loved one’s jewelry put into a new design or setting. Visit with a jeweler to get ideas or attend a restyling event at a jewelry store. After my mom passed away, I reset two pieces of her jewelry into new ring settings with the consultation of a jeweler.

As a word to the wise, wear the jewelry you design. It is meant to be a reminder of your loved one. Unfortunately, I was so concerned about losing the jewelry that I didn’t. I tucked away one ring so safely that it was not found again. Don’t repeat my mistake, enjoy it.
Remember, whatever piece of memorial jewelry you plan to wear or create, its purpose is to give you comfort. If you aren’t certain about your decision about what to do with your loved one’s jewelry, simply wait until you are ready.
Chelsea

When you do decide to go through your loved one’s clothing, you may not be sure what to do with it. Today there are many options if you give some creative thought to the process. Really think about how you can turn your loved one’s belongings into something memorable.

Some ideas include:

Sam Hyun (1977-2012) Memorial Quilt for Ezra, June 2012 (Photo credit: daintytime)

1.    Pick some of your favorite or sentimental clothing items of your loved one, and have it made into a memory quilt for you. Throw it on a bed, hang it on the wall, or drape it over a couch.

2.   Consider turning some clothing into a stuffed teddy bear for you or other children in the family. This tangible item, especially when placed on the bed, can also serve a small but meaningful item of comfort.

3.   Pieces of clothing can be used to decorate a memory box, scrap book or serve as a journal cover.

4.   Clothes can even be repurposed into items for children such as hair bands, mittens, scarves or sweaters.

To find a quilter, seamstress or artist to make a custom item search online at www.Etsy.com to find someone who can make you a custom item. You may also get a lot of new ideas as you browse online. Alternately, ask your funeral home or local hospice for recommended artists.

Be creative and you may be surprised by the great ideas you come up with!
Chelsea

Consider creating a product with a cause, especially if you are crafty, creative or know someone who is.
Engaging in a worthwhile activity can be beneficial to you and the others it serves.
For example, one local organization makes fleece blankets for low-income children. A grandmother knits hats for a neo-natal intensive care unit, and a bereaved mother recruits artists to make a new memorial keepsake each year.

Product ideas can include:
·      Beaded bracelets
·      Necklaces
·      Tote bags
·      Ornaments
·      Wind-chimes
·      Charms
·      Cookbooks
·      Scarves
·      Clothing

The ideas can be endless depending on your imagination and what is fitting to honor your loved one.
Such a project gives you a healthy way to continue to process your grief.
Chelsea

Related articles

• Words of Solace from Spiritual Teachers. ~ Karla Rodas (elephantjournal.com)
• More Scarf Jewelry Tutorials and Inspirations (beadinggem.com)
• Especially For the Grieving in Connecticut~~ (caddoveil.com)

Finding a way to adequately express your condolences isn’t easy. If you don’t know the bereaved very well, you don’t want to risk giving them a gift or card that offends them. Men can be especially challenging to shop for. They typically don’t appreciate figurines or jewelry the way women do. So how do you express your sympathy to someone who is so difficult to shop for? Why not show your support and condolences with a gift basket? Gift baskets are meaningful, yet neutral gifts that anyone would be thankful to receive.

A Basket of Tranquility

What could be more relaxing than a wide variety of hot beverages, chocolates and snacks? This Beloved Elegance Gift Basket includes Gourmet Euro Kitchen cookies, hot cocoa, relaxing Tazo tea, crackers and Cabernet cheese spread. The recipient of this basket will surely look forward to unwinding at the end of the day with any one of these soothing beverages and accompanying snack.

A Basket of Comfort

It’s called comfort food for a reason, and that’s because it warms the body and soul from the inside. The Comfort Foods Gourmet Gift Basket is filled with the finest sweets and the richest savory treats, including hearty mushroom and wild rice soup, dark chocolate toffee, caramel corn, bon bons and gourmet cheese spread. Your friend or family member will truly cherish this gift of comfort and indulgence.

A Basket of Sympathy

The recipient of the With Our Deepest Sympathy Gift Basket will truly understand your expression of sympathy. The basket features Elizabeth Garden designed pocket tissues and a burgundy wine scented candle to help the bereaved mourn their loss peacefully. They will also find joy in receiving the wide array of crackers, cheeses, chocolates and cookies included in the basket.

The versatility of gift baskets makes it easy to find one that is personal enough to show that you truly care, yet neutral enough that you won’t risk offending anyone in your attempt to express your deepest sympathy. There are so many unique gift baskets available, there’s no doubt you’ll be able to pick the perfect offering for anyone who is grieving the loss of a loved one.

Related articles

• Showing Sympathy to Friends Who Are Grieving (berries.com)
• Tips on How to Choose a Thoughtful Sympathy Gift (withsympathygifts.com)
• Personalized gifts that can express sympathy (redenvelope.com)

How do you go about expressing your sympathy to someone who has just lost someone close to them? It seems like nothing could possibly be significant enough to help ease the pain and help them through their loss. Nothing seems relevant when compared to the severe grief that person is experiencing. Sometimes you have to think outside the box when it comes to finding just the right gift to express your condolences to someone who has experienced death. An angel is the perfect way to help someone work through their grief and remember their loved one for many years to come.

“Safe Hands of God” Angel

Angels have the unique ability to bring comfort and peace to those who are mourning. An angel statue is a reminder that their loved one is up in heaven, “safe in the hands of God.” This angel is beautifully crafted, featuring birch wood accents and intricate pewter detailing. The angel is also inscribed with this heartfelt message:

Angels are always near to those who are grieving to whisper to them that their loved ones are safe in the hands of God.

“Heaven’s Angel” Child Remembrance

Parents who have suffered the death of a child can find comfort knowing that the angels in Heaven are now taking care of their son or daughter. This musical angel is a lovely way to remember a child and can be placed in the child’s room or other memorial within the home.

Angel of Comforting Presence

This angel is universally comforting to anyone who is grieving the death of someone close to them. The angel is beautifully adorned with dimensional folk art patterns, and her wings wrap around her as a symbol of comfort and protection. The angel is inscribed with the saying, “May you feel His comforting presence.”

There are so many ways to show someone your support during their time of grief, but few gifts are as comforting as an angelic statue that can be place in the home. Angels serve as a reminder that your loved one is now in heaven in the company of angels, protected by God.

Related articles

• An Angel’s Prayer (withsympathygifts.com)
• Are you the ONE who can make a difference? (withsympathygifts.com)

When your loved one dies, you feel an even stronger desire to be near them. The loss that you have suffered makes you long to feel their presence in some way or another. The mention of their name, the smell of their clothes, a quick glance at their picture, all give you a brief sense of comfort, knowing that you can still hold onto a small piece of your loved one. If someone close to you is grieving the loss of a loved one, a beautiful way to carry the memory of their beloved departed is with a piece of jewelry. It’s something that can be worn at all times to serve as a gentle reminder of the one they still hold dear to their heart. Here are a few of my favorite pieces of memorial jewelry. Find one that you think will speak to your loved one and give it as an expression of your deepest sympathy for their loss.

Memorial Bangle Bracelet

This bracelet is a beautiful reminder to someone who is grieving that their faith in God will help them through the struggle. The rhodium bracelet is inscribed with the message, “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” There are going to be days when your loved one will feel as though they are not strong enough to bare the pain. Let the bracelet guide them back to the Lord and help them find strength in Him.

“I can do everything through Him who gives me strength”

“Always in My Heart” Ash Locket

A locket is the perfect way to keep the physical presence of the departed close at all times. This heart-shaped locket contains a vial that is meant to hold the ashes of your loved one. It’s inscribed with the message, “In loving memory.” Give this gift to someone who has lost someone close to them and is in need of a way to hold their departed loved one close to their heart.

“Memorial Cross of Faith” Necklace

If your loved one is strong in their faith, they will truly appreciate this memorial cross necklace. It is a beautiful 22 karat gold necklace embedded with Swarovski crystals. Although it is easy to feel abandoned at such a hard time, this cross is a beautiful reminder that God has not forgotten them during this time of darkness.

Jewelry is a wonderful way to express your sympathy for someone who is grieving. A necklace or bracelet can serve as a beautiful expression of their love for the departed and a reminder to them of the person they have lost. If you yourself are grieving, there’s no reason you can’t treat yourself with one of these special pieces of jewelry to help you through this difficult time.

When a person is born, we rejoice, and when they’re married, we jubilate, but when they die, we pretend nothing happened.  – Margaret Mead

Today as we live in the twenty first century, our culture promotes a sort of death denial or death avoidance.

• We do not like to talk about or think about death, simply because we fear it.
• We don’t want to admit death will happen and that it is real.
• We like to keep death at a distance.

Today we are unfortunately not as publically and privately enlightened about death as our ancestors from years ago.  This leaves those grieving alone since people have not learned how to talk about death and how to support the grieving.  Due to our lack of understanding and fear, the bereaved often do not receive the support they need.

This practice needs to be changed and it can start with you.  Let others know that it is okay to talk about the person who died.  Tell them you welcome the stories and memories, as well as the emotions it may evoke in you – good or bad.  Forgive others when they may not say anything because they don’t mean to be hurtful.  You can simply say, “Even when I get upset or sad, I like when you talk about Roger.  It lets me know that you care about me and that you are thinking about him.”  Or more simply, you can state,“It would help me if we could talk about Roger’s death.”

Let’s others know that you need their support. What simple sentence can you commit to memory to express this?  

Related articles

• Why Do We Experience Grief? (archive.aweber.com)
• Understanding and Managing Grief, February 26 – March 3, 2012 (griefhealingblog.com)
• Death is Not a Dirty Word (newenglandpethospice.blogspot.com)
• Preparing for Grief (everydayhealth.com)

Start and End Each Day with Gratitude

What is the world can there to be grateful for you wonder?  I am in hell, and want to get out.  I am not grateful for anything.   My loved one died.

One way to take you away from your pain, if only for even a moment, is to consider what you might be grateful for in your life.  Your mind cannot hold competing thoughts.

• Are you grateful for your loved one and how much you loved him or her?  Are you grateful he or she was a positive and caring influence in your life?  Are you grateful you will always have his or her love?
• What about your life, your child’s life, or the other family members that love you?
• Or instead, how about the smaller more basics things… your warm home?  The soft bed you sleep in?  The sun on your face?  A piece of chocolate?

Take a minute in the morning and the evening, and try to reflect on three things that are a blessing to you.  Although this may be difficult, please give it a try.  It can be a welcome respite to your weary mind, if only for a moment.

                                                                               Blowing the winds of gratitude your way,

           Chelsea

• Day 7: The gift of gratitude (incelebrationofyou.wordpress.com)
• Grief and Gratitude-How to Balance Both (archive.aweber.com)
• How Can We Grieve & Be Grateful? (heartachetohealing.com)

A Powerful Healing Affirmation: Make a Commitment to Life

Tell Yourself You Will Get Through This.  

Others have made it through loss, and you will too.  Some days you may not believe this, but you will.

Make a commitment to yourself and your loved one that you won’t give up. Sometimes the promises we make to our self can be broken when we are in such pain.

Not only should you make a promise of life to yourself,

but also a commitment to your loved one 

Your loved one wants you to be happy and go on to have a great life.  You can only do this by going through this phase of your grief and life.  You can do it….And you will do it!  You may need to pull out your reserves of strength, but they are there.  Ready to use, when you need them.  Call on them and your network of support.

And when you look back at this phase in your life, you are not going to feel the pain.  Instead, you are going to remember your loved one’s presence in your live…and the love he or she had for you then and still has for you now.

Affirmation:  I am making it through this moment and day.  I am committed to life.  

                                                                Wishing you strength  for the moment,

                     Chelsea Hanson

• Make a Promise to Yourself….Your Life Can Be Full Again (withsympathygifts.com)
• How to move beyond grief when you’ve lost your mum or dad…Why it’s NOT about emotion (kristiewest.com)

A man doesn’t plant a tree for himself. He plants it for posterity. – Alexander Smith

Oak Tree Sunrise, Ansel Adams

One of the most thoughtful sympathy gifts I received after my mother died was a gift certificate to a local nursery to purchase a tree.  Now 15 years later, every time I look out my kitchen window I see this beautiful tree, which reminds me of my mother and the thoughtfulness of our friends who gave us this gift.  Planting a tree as a lasting memorial is a meaningful way to create someone you lost.

Planting a tree is a meaningful and lasting way to create a memorial for someone you lost. Nothing better represents the cycle of life than a growing tree…from the spring buds….to the beautiful summer blooms…to the falling leaves and winter rest.  All for the growth cycle to begin again.

You may wonder what kind of tree to plant?  Are there certain trees that you like or perhaps ones that your loved one enjoyed?  For some ideas:

Oak trees represent strength.

Willow trees represent release and a new start

Cypress trees represent endings

Yew trees symbolize immortality.

Hoping you find just the right way to memorialize the person you lost,

                    Chelsea

Under the weeping willow tree (simpleme2.wordpress.com)