At the funeral, it is customary for something to be said about the person that has died.
That sentence is so simple, but the reality is far from it. Many people just are not able to get up and speak in from of people at the best of times but the pressure and emotions of a funeral are overwhelming for most.
We asked the priest doing the service to say something and it was suggested that we talk to a local chap that writes and performs them( for a cost). so he came to the house and we sat and chatted about Dan and he made notes. A nice chap and very professional
However when we got the drafts of the Eulogy back it was brief, and clearly written by someone who had no idea about the person they wrote about. We decided to do it ourselves and as a family talked through what we wanted to say, memories, who should be mentioned, and a few stories and scribbled them all down.
It doesn’t need to be a masterpiece or perfectly spelt and punctuated, it just needs to be honest and real. It wasn’t easy, and many tears were shed, but a few laughs as well as we decided what to say and over a few days it came together – I’ve shared it here
Like having a Wake, the Eulogy is hard and easy to avoid, let the priest or celebrant say some standard remarks and move on. Please don’t though, you will regret it. Take a few hours, your loved ones deserve that and put it down on paper. It’s possibly the last and biggest time that the person will be discussed openly in public so make it count.