When you lose a loved one, you may experience friends and family that want to reach out and give messages of condolences in various ways. Collecting these and saving them will be something that you and your family can cherish in the future. Recording these messages along with your memories of the person that has passed on is essential. Solutions for saving messages of remembrance may include:
- A photo book
- A kudoboard
- Scrapbooks
- Journaling
- Video
Today we’re outlining several different ways that you can record and save these remembrance messages. Once saved you can share them with others and read them at a later date to remember and honor your loved one
Photo Books
During a funeral, it may not occur to you to take pictures, but there will be other attendees that will most likely do so. When all of the services are done, you will want to see the photos taken and be able to cherish those memories
There are different photo book services out there where you can compile these into a book to keep or even make copies to share. Check out Chatbooks. They will take photos from your phone or computer and upload them into a bound book. You can even add captions to the pictures so that you can read through and remember who it was that came to the funeral services that day.
Mixbook will help you put all of your photos together and design a beautiful layout for them. You can use the different provided templates and fonts throughout your book to personalize it and make it unique.
A few great images to include in your photo book are:
- Pictures of the sign-in book that was used at the funeral
- A photo of the program from the services
- A copy of any letters, emails, or cards that you received
You don’t need to make a book just about the funeral of your loved one; you can incorporate pictures from their entire life. Find photos from their parents or early childhood friends that you can scan and incorporate into the photobook. Use different pictures from throughout their life to painting the full picture of the life that they had. It will be a fantastic reminder of their extraordinary life and the beautiful services held when they passed away. You can have copies made for their friends and loved ones so that they can cherish those memories as well.
Kudoboard
An excellent way for people to share memories or messages of condolence is by creating a Kudoboard. With a Kudoboard, friends and family from anywhere in the world can share messages, pictures, and videos.
A Kudoboard is great for a group (i.e., coworkers, friend groups, sports teams) that want to let the family know they are thinking of them during this difficult time. You and your group can share messages with the family and offer your condolences.
A Kudoboard is such a great way to save and share remembrance messages. Then as a gift to the family, you can print it out and give it to them to have something always to remember their loved one. You can also share a printed copy with friends and other loved ones.
Scrapbooks
A scrapbook is a great way to gather pictures and paper items (such as ticket stubs, programs, and newspaper clippings) and write captions about different events in the life of a loved one. Suppose you are looking for a unique way to save messages that you have received from people offering their condolences. In that case, a scrapbook is a great way.
You can create a scrapbook where the pages include different events throughout their life. You can also create pages that include photos from the funeral services. Gather any images you have and add them to your book. If you received any letters or cards, you can create pages for your scrapbook and include these. This will be a great way to save all of those messages of remembrance that have been shared with you.
Having a physical scrapbook that can sit on your shelf or coffee table will be easily accessible when you want to reminisce about your loved one. You will cherish this book for years to come.
Journaling
Having a journal can be very productive as you navigate the healing process. As you recall memories of your loved one, you can write those down and later read back on them. Some things to journal about as they occur are:
- Stories shared with you by their friends
- Messages of condolence that you receive
- Memories that you have of your loved one
- Your feelings, whether good or sad
- Healing thoughts that you may have
If others share stories of your loved one, a journal is a great place to record those. If we can put those stories told to us by others into a journal, we will have a place to go back and reflect on those events shared with us. Often if we do not write down a memory, we will forget it.
If writing is your preferred method of journaling, then be sure to have your notebook and pen handy to express your feelings through the written word. If you would rather keep an electronic journal, there are some great sites out there that you can use to record your feelings and memories. Penzu is a great private journaling website where you can express yourself. The great thing about online journaling is that you can do it anywhere if you have a smartphone. So if a memory comes to you or if a friend shares a story about your deceased loved one, you can open your journal on your phone, tablet, or computer and record that.
A journal is a personal story of your life and feelings. Getting those emotions, you are holding out on paper is a great way to release pent-up feelings. Another great thing about a journal is that it can be passed on to others to read all of the great stories and memories you have recorded.
Video Montage
Watching a video compilation of clips of your loved one will be the most cherished possession you can have. If you think to have the funeral recorded and preserved in the video, be sure to do that. It may be hard to revisit, but it is a great way to record the memory. A videographer can speak to different attendees of the memorial services and capture memories and stories in a video montage. Then you can take those stories and put them together in one video to tell the story of their life.
Using an online video company like Animoto will help you take photos and videos and put them into a customized film. You can add slideshows to your video montage and set it to music that was special to your loved one. You will be able to take all of your home movies, pictures you have gathered, videos from the funeral services, and any of the videos that your videographer gathered from the attendees and string them together in an amazing film of the life of your loved one.
The great thing about a video compilation is that it can be easily shared with others who loved the person who passed away. After you are done making the video, you can give each family member or friend a copy of the video so that they too can enjoy and reflect on your loved one. It will be a cherished video that you can go back to each time you miss your friend.
Start Saving Your Remembrance Messages
Recording your own personal memories of your loved one and saving the memories that have been shared with you is so important. Oftentimes in the moment of grief, you may not be able to give your full attention to the messages that are shared with you. Be sure to take the time later to come back to those messages and reflect on them. It is such a kind gesture when a person takes the time to share a memorial message with you.
No matter what format you choose to save and share remembrance messages, be sure to do it. When you start to miss your loved one, it will be so great to have something to look at, read, or watch that will help you reflect on their life. Give yourself and others every opportunity to remember the life of your loved one.
